Strengthening Indigenous defense against illegal economies
Across the Amazon basin, organized crime is now one of the greatest threats to Indigenous territories and a major driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Illegal gold mining, coca production, and land grabbing have surged in recent years, fueling violence, deforestation, and territorial invasion on an alarming scale.
Amazon Watch is advocating for effective state operations against criminal economies as well as international action to support Indigenous rights and territorial governance in alignment with their strategies and visions. In partnership with investigative journalists, we are launching groundbreaking research documenting the scope and impact of organized crime to inform media and decision makers while helping build an ecosystem of support and protection for Earth Defenders at risk.
Campaign goals
- Collective and preventive self-protection mechanisms are established for defenders and their territories
- Strong and rapid emergency measures are accessible to defenders; families are supported during periods of displacement
- The resilience of local communities is strengthened through territorial governance, economic alternatives, and community support systems
Recent highlights
- Securing protection for Earth Defenders: Working with Indigenous communities in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador to implement individual and collective protection measures – including safehouse support, security equipment, and relocation for defenders facing threats from criminal groups.
- Advancing land rights and protection for the Kakataibo people in Peru: Amid escalating threats from drug trafficking and illegal logging, we support the Kakataibo people’s fight for land titling, protection, and justice – defending both their lives and Peru’s Amazon rainforest from violence, exploitation, and deforestation.
- Centering Indigenous voices on the global stage: From the UN Biodiversity, Transnational Organized Crime, and Climate COPs to the G20 and Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, we’re accompanying Indigenous leaders to testify directly about the threats they face and the urgent need for global action.
Latest campaign news and updates
Indigenous Leadership and Collective Power in 2025
As climate denial gained renewed political traction and governments moved to restrict civic space, Indigenous peoples and grassroots movements across the Amazon advanced bold, collective visions for the future.
The Amazon Does Not Need New Wars
U.S. security strategy revives a past the region is trying to overcome
El País | If history offers any lesson, it is this: every time the Amazon has been militarized in the name of order, the forest lost, its peoples lost, and democracy lost. Repeating that path is not a solution.
From Self-Government to Climate Leadership: The Wampis Nation’s Story
“For us, the Wampis, autonomy means living in freedom and peace as we have inherited our territory. It means being free from pollution and deciding our own future, for ourselves, but also for all of humanity”.
Ecuador Rejects Militarization and Backs Call for Accountability
President Noboa's defeat in the national referendum comes after weeks of mobilization and repression
By rejecting Noboa’s militarized reforms, Ecuadorians chose solutions that protect life and dignity instead of policies based on repression.
“It’s Not Safe to Live Here.”
Colombia is deadliest country for environmental defenders
Associated Press | “We have to continue defending the future, and we need more and more people to join this cause.”
The Fight Against Climate Change Is Also a Fight Against Organized Crime
Belém COP cannot succeed without taking decisive action
Open Global Rights | Belém can be remembered as a turning point – when the world stopped treating the Amazon as a victim and began dismantling the criminal economies driving its collapse.
Standing With the Kakataibo
Resilience amid Peru’s crisis of corruption and organized crime
The Kakataibo have made it clear to us: they will not give up. Their fight to reclaim and defend their ancestral lands has lasted more than two decades, and this is simply another chapter in a long struggle for survival and justice.
Defending the Amazon Against Illegal Economies
The Wampís Nation’s fight to defend their territory against an invasion of illegal mining
The Wampís’ fight is not just local, it’s global. Defending the Amazon means defending the planet.
Defending the Defenders: Indigenous Peoples vs. Organized Crime in the Amazon
Organized crime is not just a threat to public safety. It is now one of the main drivers of Amazon deforestation and Indigenous displacement.
