Amazon Watch is a non-profit organization that protects the rainforest and our climate in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. Amazon Watch amplifies Indigenous solutions to permanently protect the remaining 80% of the Amazon rainforest in order to reverse the current trend of rainforest destruction.

The Amazon rainforest is the heart pump of our planet’s global weather system. Each year it absorbs 1.5 billion tons of CO2, in addition to producing approximately 20% of the world’s breathable oxygen. Not only is it one of the most biodiverse regions on earth, it is also one of the most endangered — one we cannot afford to lose. Protecting forests is essential to combat both the climate crisis, and the parallel biodiversity crisis. We feel strongly that we must protect older forests that make up well-established ecosystems, like the Amazon rainforest. 

The Earth Defenders Fund

Amazon Watch is supporting the “Earth Defenders” the Indigenous peoples and environmentalists on the front lines of defending ecosystems from destruction through Amazon Defenders Fund. In the Amazon, this includes people who are defending their lands and waters against oil extraction, illegal mining and logging, and other destructive activities.

This is a very dangerous situation to be in for Earth Defenders, who are standing up against powerful interests with financial and political resources. By patrolling their lands, being a physical barrier to extraction, and exposing Amazon destruction, they face intense threats from those who are destroying the rainforest. That’s why it’s so critical that we act in solidarity with Earth Defenders and call out the threats they face, and through the Amazon Defenders Fund support their activities.

“Amazon Watch is grateful to EFK platform’s community for their support of Indigenous rights, resistance, and solutions for a permanently protected Amazon rainforest. Together, we will continue calling out the major drivers of Amazon destruction, amplifying Indigenous leadership and land rights, and moving us toward a livable climate future. Thank you for being on this path with us!”