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
Peru’s Amazon at a Crossroads as Drug Trafficking Expands Across Indigenous Territories
A new report on the impact of drug trafficking on Indigenous Peoples in Peru warns that the country faces a defining decision: confront the rapid expansion of organized crime in the Amazon, or risk allowing new systems of criminal power to take root across vast regions of the country.
Indigenous Peoples Brought the Amazon Crime Crisis to the U.N. What Happens Next?
“It is fundamental that states understand Indigenous peoples are crucial actors when it comes to security and containing organized crime."
Indigenous Amazon Groups Urge the U.N. To Curb Organized Crime, Not Militarize Territories
Associated Press | “In light of this situation, it is essential that responses to organized crime and illicit economies do not translate into new processes of militarization, criminalization, or the subordination of Indigenous governance systems.”
Indigenous Peoples Call on U.N. Action as Organized Crime Expands Across the Amazon
Indigenous leaders who gathered at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues are demanding a decisive shift away from failed militarized responses toward rights-based approaches that center Indigenous territorial governance, autonomy, and community-led security systems in efforts to confront organized crime. They warn that current state responses are not only insufficient but, in many cases, actively deepen violence and insecurity in their territories.
Indigenous leaders who gathered at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues are demanding a decisive shift away from failed militarized responses toward rights-based approaches that center Indigenous territorial governance, autonomy, and community-led security systems in efforts to confront organized crime.
Amazon Watch and Allied Organizations Release Landmark Report on Amazon Crime
In the context of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Amazon Watch, together with allied organizations, presents the first report to analyze how illicit economies and repressive government responses threaten the rights, territories, and physical and cultural survival of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Leaders Bring Amazon Crime Crisis to the UN
As militarized responses fail, Indigenous territorial governance proves vital
An urgent message is traveling from the Amazon to the United Nations. This week, Amazon Watch will accompany a delegation of Indigenous leaders from Peru and Ecuador to New York for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
Territorios Indígenas Bajo Amenaza
La doble presión del crimen organizado y la militarización en la Amazonía
Este informe llama a una estrategia regional centrada en la protección ambiental, el fortalecimiento institucional del Estado y la gobernanza comunitaria.
Amazon Under Siege
How Crime and Militarization Threaten Indigenous Peoples
This report calls for a regional strategy centered on environmental protection, state-building, and community governance.
The Trump Doctrine in Latin America: Carry a Big Stick and Speak of “Total Extermination”
The Administration designated a dozen Latin American criminal cartels as terrorist organizations and launched Operation Southern Spear in September.
