Amazon Watch | Protecting the rainforest and our climate in solidarity with Indigenous peoples
Amazon Watch

Eye on the Amazon

Chevron’s Environmental Crimes: 13 Years of Evasion and Escalation

On the 13th anniversary of the historic $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron, Ecuador's current government could betray its own people in favor of big oil interests

Thirteen years ago today, Indigenous peoples and other Amazonian inhabitants made climate justice history in Ecuador when, after 18 years of legal battles, they won a $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron Corporation.

Recent Reports

Amazon Underworld

Criminal Economies in the World's Largest Rainforest

This report shows how criminal organizations and armed groups have expanded their presence, increased their political control, and diversified their economies in the Amazon with disastrous impacts on Indigenous peoples.

Amazon in Focus 2023

Over the last year, hope and progress for the future of the Amazon and climate has been restored. With immense joy and pride, we celebrate recent victories to protect Indigenous land rights with the civil society consultation to keep oil in the ground in the Yasuní National Park in Ecuador and the Brazilian Supreme Court ruling declaring “Marco...

Unmasking Canada: Rights Violations Across Latin America

Amazon Watch was joined by more than 50 civil society organizations to compile three critical reports - covering Regional, Amazonian, and Oil and Gas - under the campaign Unmasking Canada: Rights Violations Across Latin America.

News on Indigenous Rights, the Amazon, and Our Global Climate Crisis

Following the Money Behind Amazon Oil Development

Santander and HSBC worked on Petroperú bond issuance despite its record of Amazon oil spills

Financial Times | Local opposition has hampered Petroperú’s plans to start producing crude from two large blocks in the Amazon. For many banks, support for Amazon oil development must look like much more trouble than it is worth.

Guardians Unite: Defending the Xingu Against Belo Sun’s Threat

The Gathering was a key moment to reaffirm our collective resistance and understand the realities of communities grappling not only with the disastrous Belo Monte hydroelectric dam but also the looming threat of Belo Sun’s proposed mine. 

Belo Sun Mining Seeks to Criminalize Amazon Defenders

The Canadian gold mining company’s criminal lawsuit attempts to silence and intimidate defenders of the Volta Grande do Xingú, including community leaders, Amazon Watch, and other environmental and human rights activists

In a blatant effort to intimidate and silence its critics, Belo Sun Mining has filed a criminal lawsuit targeting more than 30 people – most of them small-scale farmers – as well as community leaders, environmental defenders, researchers, and representatives of Brazilian and international organizations.

Despite Victory in a Historic Referendum, Yasuní National Park Is Again at Risk

Ecuador's president announces plans to ignore the popular vote and continue drilling for oil in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, home to Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation

The government seeks to upend the will of voters and continue drilling in Yasuní under the pretense of funding the country’s escalating conflict with organized crime. 

Petroperú Is Desperate for Cash, But We’re Going to End Amazon Crude!

The company is now in talks with Citi and JPMorgan Chase, and Indigenous nations tell them again: no new financing for Petroperú!

Joining forces with our partners, Amazon Watch is gearing up to launch a series of campaign actions in 2024. Our mission: to ensure financiers, including commercial banks, investors, and insurers, fully grasp the perils of financially supporting Petroperú. 

Indigenous Rights Battle Resumes in Brazilian Supreme Court

The continuing struggle against “Marco Temporal” and escalating anti-Indigenous politics

The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Marco Temporal thesis was arguably the most significant victory of the Indigenous movement in the 21st century. It marked the culmination of years of grassroots organizing, legal struggles, and mobilization.

Solidarity, Advocacy, and Resistance in the Amazon and Beyond

This solidarity grantmaking is built upon a multi-decade track record as a trusted partner among Indigenous nations and local organizations and guided by the principles and cosmology of Indigenous peoples. 

Investors Must Respect Indigenous Rights to Protect the Amazon

Respecting Indigenous Rights: An Actionable Toolkit for Institutional Investors provides investors with a starting point to educate themselves and others about Indigenous rights, as well as practical tools to develop policies, case studies, and data sources to identify and address Indigenous rights abuses.

2024 Could Be the Endgame for Indigenous Land Rights in Brazil

"I will not feel defeated. Defeated are those who are sitting on their hands. We will continue to fight for the demarcation of Indigenous lands. Because those who have territory have a place to go back to, and those who have a place to go back to, have a mother, a lap, and a cure."