Our work
Stop Amazon Crime
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.
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.
