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.
Defend Earth Defenders
The Amazon and its Indigenous communities face a collective threat of land invasions, extractive industries, and mega infrastructure projects that often translate into death threats and violent attacks against those who resist. In order to protect the rights, territories, and environment of Amazonian Earth Defenders, we must fight for legal recognition and enforcement of ancestral territorial rights, implementation of free, prior, and informed consent for megaprojects imposed on Indigenous lands, addressing illegal economies and corruption, among others.
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.
Over 130 International Organizations Denounce Escalating State Violence in Ecuador and Call for Global Action to Protect Human Rights
"Peace cannot be imposed by force; it is built on truth, justice, and dialogue."
Defending Mocoa in Southern Colombia
Art, culture, and children’s resistance against Giant Copper mining threat
“Mocoa is the most conserved territory, where the mountains hold the winds of the ancestors, which descend to embrace the Amazon.”
Stop the Criminalization of Defenders and the Dismantling of Democratic Guarantees in Ecuador
Defending land, water, and life is a legitimate and protected right. It must never trigger reprisals or restrictions.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Ecuador’s Amazon Oil Plans Face Indigenous and Global Opposition
Seven Indigenous nations denounce oil auctions amid state of emergency, as Amazon Watch warns of oil expansion plans and human rights risks during Climate Week in New York
“Indigenous resistance, civil society mobilization, and growing international pressure will continue to expose these projects as illegitimate, unlawful, and unfinanceable.”
International Organizations Call for Judicial Independence and Respect for Fundamental Rights in Ecuador
The international human rights and civil society organizations that subscribe to this statement express our deep concern about the climate of harassment and pressure currently facing the Constitutional Court of Ecuador.
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.
California Senate Passes SR 51, Responding to Indigenous Call to End Amazon Crude Imports
“This is the first step in ending California’s addiction to Amazon crude. Consuming oil from the Amazon is incompatible with climate leadership."
Security at the Amazon’s Breaking Point: Tri-Border Report Spurs Concrete Actions After ATCO Summit
“The tri-border must be the test case: protect defenders, dismantle illicit economies, and pair enforcement with peacebuilding and restoration.”
Indigenous Nations of Ecuador and Peru Reject Cross-Border Oil Deal
“This deal has no consent, no legitimacy, and will face legal and social resistance every step of the way.”
A Historic Alliance for the Amazon
“This deal has no consent, no legitimacy, and will face legal and social resistance every step of the way.”
This united front builds on a track record of resistance: in more than 25 years, no new oil well has been drilled in Ecuador’s southeastern Amazon.
New Report Released: In the Shadows of the State
Illicit Economies and Armed Control in the Triple Border Region of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
"Peace and security in the Amazon are impossible without Indigenous peoples at the heart of the solution."
Wampís Territorial Guards Attacked While Defending Their Lands
Peruvian government fails to deliver on anti-mining commitments
"The Wampis have to confront illegal gold miners alone, despite the Peruvian government's supposed offensive against organized crime promoting gold exploitation."
Amazon Crime Crisis: U.N. Backs Indigenous Demands
U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: governments and UNODC must include Indigenous Peoples in anti-crime and environmental policies
Amazonian Indigenous leaders delivered a clear and urgent message: organized crime and illegal economies are devastating the Amazon and threatening the survival of Indigenous Peoples.
Amazon in Peril: New Report Exposes Drug Trade Threat to 270+ Indigenous Communities
"We, the Indigenous defenders, face threats from drug traffickers when we speak out. We are calling for real change in how this crisis is addressed. Our territories and self-protection systems need global government support."
Drug Trafficking in Indigenous Territories of the Peruvian Amazon
Routes, Impacts, and Failed Policies
In Peru, drug trafficking is one of the main threats to the Amazon and Indigenous peoples. This report presents concrete proposals to reposition Indigenous peoples not only as victims, but as political actors who can help shape solutions.
The Amazon vs. Big Oil: Why Petroperú’s Latest Defeat Matters Globally
This Indigenous-led victory to keep 55 million barrels of crude in the ground in Peru's Amazon is a blueprint for resisting oil expansion worldwide
"Petroperú’s decision to cancel the tender for Block 64 is a great relief. However, we remain vigilant, knowing that it will likely continue seeking investors to exploit this block."
Indigenous Peoples Denounce Criminal Expansion in the Amazon at the U.N.
“The Permanent Forum must formally recognize that organized crime and illegal economies such as drug trafficking and illegal mining are an existential threat to our peoples."
Indigenous Leader Shot While Hunting as Violence Escalates in Shipibo Territory
The Shipibo community of Flor de Ucayali continues to face death threats and land invasions from drug traffickers
This attack is yet another example of the growing violence against Indigenous communities as criminal economies expand across the Amazon.
Truth, Justice, and Reparations: Traveling into the Heart of the Colombian Amazon
Thanks to the courageous leadership of Indigenous women like Yarley and Lucila, and the continued pressure from Colombian and international allies, Lower Remanso is advancing its vision of justice and self-determination. But the path remains difficult.
The Wisdom That Panduro Took With Him
Three years after the army perpetrated the Alto Remanso massacre, in which several civilians were killed, a community that almost disappeared is trying to recover from the absence of the leader who healed them and taught them their language
Voragine | Pablo Panduro was killed on March 28, 2022 during an army operation in which 11 people were killed, and which was carried out against the Border Command, a FARC dissident group that controls most of Putumayo.
2023-2024 Amazon Defenders Fund Report
Stories of Solidarity
The Amazon Defenders Fund (ADF) is an activist-led solidarity fund built upon Amazon Watch’s multi-decade track record as a trusted partner to Indigenous nations and local organizations.
Big Oil’s “Lawfare” Attacks on Advocacy and Accountability
This is not justice. Greenpeace will appeal, and they need all of us to mobilize in a massive international movement in support of their efforts to expose this sham trial.
Survivors of Alto Remanso Massacre in Colombia Commemorate Their Dead
This past Friday, in Bajo Putumayo, another anniversary was held to remember the military operation that killed at least eight civilians. At the time, authorities tried to pass the victims off as guerrillas killed in combat
El País | On March 28, 2022, the Military Forces of Colombia carried out an operation by air, water and land. Eleven people died, four were wounded and around 350 were displaced.
IACHR Condemns Ecuador for Violating Rights of Tagaeri-Taromenane People
Landmark ruling calls for concrete measures to guarantee their survival
“This judgment of the Inter-American Court is the result of many years of struggle and is a guarantee of the rights to territory for peoples in isolation, so that they can live without the threat of oil, mining, and other threats."
Illegal Mining in the Amazon: “Criminal Governance Is Expanding and Becoming Increasingly Violent”
Mongabay | Raphael Hoetmer, director of Amazon Watch's Western Amazon Program, spoke with Mongabay Latam about the advance of mining in the Amazonian territory of Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Amazon Watch Condemns Trump Administration’s Reckless Attack on USAID
The freeze on U.S. foreign assistance, implemented by the Trump administration, is already causing severe harm to vulnerable communities in the Amazon.
Amazon’s Advocates Fear Trump’s Return Means Little U.S. Help to Protect Rainforest
Associated Press | “Trump 2.0 will offer Amazonian governments a permission structure to ignore or walk back climate commitments, precisely at the moment when protection of the rainforest demands greater ambition and regional coordination.”
