Indigenous land rights are climate justice
Indigenous peoples steward more than 400 million hectares of the Amazon – lands that are scientifically proven to be the best protected from deforestation. Yet, one-third of these territories lack legal recognition, leaving them vulnerable to invasion, exploitation, and environmental destruction.
Amazon Watch works in direct partnership with Indigenous peoples to uphold and advance land rights as a cornerstone of climate justice. We provide legal and technical support, amplify Indigenous voices through media and advocacy, and back community-led resistance to extractive industries, agribusiness, and organized crime. Land rights are not only a matter of justice – they are essential to protecting the Amazon and safeguarding the planet’s future.
Campaign goals
- Legal recognition and protection of Indigenous land rights are secured through titling, demarcation, and territorial governance
- Frontline communities are strengthened to resist destructive forces and assert their rights
- Indigenous demands for land and territorial defense are amplified; their voices are centered in national and global decision making spaces
Recent highlights
- Supporting land demarcation in Brazil: Providing legal and technical assistance to Indigenous partners like the Munduruku people, while amplifying the national Indigenous movement’s demands for full demarcation in the face of hostile political forces.
- Defending land rights and FPIC in Ecuador: Although Ecuador’s constitution recognizes Indigenous land rights, the state claims subsurface oil and mineral rights. We are supporting Indigenous nations such as the Shuar Arutam People in asserting their right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) over extractive projects on their territories.
- Advancing Indigenous autonomy in Peru: Accompanying Indigenous movements pursuing the consolidation of autonomous territorial governments, while advocating for protections for Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI).
- Campaigning against disastrous megaprojects: Campaigning against the Ferrogrão, a proposed 933 km railway aimed at increasing grain exports from Mato Grosso State to Amazon River ports. The project, which is strongly opposed by Indigenous peoples, would drive deforestation and accelerate agribusiness expansion across Brazil’s rainforest frontier.
Latest campaign news and updates
Indigenous Caravan Departs from Sinop to Belém to Protest Against Ferrogrão
Folha de S.Paulo | “We will not allow the interests of large corporations, such as Cargill and Bunge, to destroy our rivers and forests."
Ferrogrão Is a Shortcut to Collapse
The railway is being sold as a logistical solution, but in practice it means more deforestation, land invasions, and poison
O Globo | Ferrogrão is the backbone of a corridor that transforms the Amazon into a commodity export route and condemns Brazil to a subservient role.
Interview With Chief Raoni: “Congressmen Only Think About Destruction, Not About Future Generations”
Indigenous leader says he is skeptical about the practical effects of COP30 and laments that, under the Lula administration, projects such as Marco Temporal and the Destruction Bill are moving forward
O Globo | On the eve of COP30, Raoni is also skeptical about the environmental meeting to be held in Belém.
Brazil’s Partial Veto of “Devastation Bill” Stops Some Setbacks, but Critical Loopholes Remain
Amazon Watch warns that preserved provisions still threaten Indigenous land rights and environmental protections ahead of COP30
“This soy doesn’t feed our people. We don’t eat soy – it’s for export and corporate profit. Meanwhile, pesticides contaminate our water, our soil, and even the rain. It’s poisoning all of us, not just Indigenous peoples."
Peru and Ecuador’s Crude Gamble Faces Indigenous Wall of Resistance
Indigenous nations reject Boluarte’s announcement on binational oil pipeline between Petroperú and Petroecuador
“Without our consent, this project has no legitimacy. Investors must be warned: any deal built on rights violations is built on quicksand.”
The Achuar Reject Petroperú’s Oil Expansion – Yet Again
Amid mounting debt and political pressure, Petroperú scrambles to revive Block 64, but Indigenous nations expose sham consultations and defend their territories from fossil fuel expansion
“These informal meetings and all publicity surrounding them have no validity as a mechanism for Indigenous peoples' participation. The truth cannot be hidden."
Soy Dictates the Path: How Ferrogrão is Reshaping Life in the Amazon
Folha de S.Paulo | "Soy farming will increase a lot. When it rains, the pesticides flow into the river. We have no wells to rely on. There’s nowhere to run, and all our children get sick."
Mura People Rise Against Mining Invasion in Brazil
A powerful new alliance emerges to confront extractivism on Indigenous lands
“What happened at this large meeting was not just a gathering of the Mura most directly affected by the Brazil Potash project. Rather, the significance of this event lies in the fact that this struggle has become, first and foremost, the struggle of all Indigenous peoples.”
Built to Spill: Ecuador’s Pipeline Disaster and the Fight to Stop the Next One
Coastal communities in Ecuador are still reeling from a devastating oil spill on March 13, which dumped over 25,000 barrels of crude oil into rivers and protected areas in the northwestern province of Esmeraldas.
