Today about 1.5 million of the Amazon population is indigenous, distributed across 385 ethnic groups1. In Brazil alone, there are nearly 900,000 indigenous people who speak 274 languages2. These groups stand to be among the first affected by environmental crimes and – as discussed in the Escazu Agreement – are also on the frontline of efforts to protect the environment and promote sustainable development in their communities.
As literature points out, most retain a close cultural relationship with nature and their traditions treasure—and transmit between generations—a wide-ranging repertoire of their own representations of nature that are conducive to protective behaviours3.
Environmental defenders play a crucial role in protecting the environment and defending key forests, habitats and ecosystems. This group – defined as “anyone who is defending environmental rights, including constitutional rights to a clean and healthy environment, when the exercise of those rights is threatened” (United Nations Environment Programme) – is facing increasing dangers. In recent years, Latin America has seen a surge in violence against environmental and human rights defenders, with the Amazon being particularly susceptible. They are being murdered while exercising their right to protect their lands and the environment (Climate Reality Project, 2024).
For the second year running, Colombia had the highest number of killings of environmental defenders worldwide – with a record 79 defenders killed in 2023, followed by Brazil (25). However, the number of causalities is likely much higher. Of all defenders murdered last year, 43% were Indigenous people and 12% were women (Global Witness, 2024).
This session aimed to answer the following questions. What is the role of local and indigenous communities in the fight against organised crime? Where are they already involved? What are the opportunities for governments in working more closely with them? Participants discussed the following in response to these questions.
First and foremost, there are important gaps between what normative frameworks and international standards indicate, and the state’s capacity to implement on the ground. The convergence of multicommodity criminal organisations and limited state presence reinforces a negative cycle of furthering state weakness and democratic backsliding in the region.
Furthermore, many countries have passed legislation that directly promotes the consolidation of criminal economies such as illegal mining or illegal timber trade. Some are also promoting inadequate solutions that generate more extractivism, while failing to protect human rights defenders and environmental activists. Identities of these defenders are being destroyed, they are forced into displacement and their communities are being disarticulated. It is also imperative to understand the interlinkages between organised crime, money laundering and corruption in the Amazon basin. There are currently over 24,000 criminal proceedings for environmental crimes in Peru. However, information is lagging in terms of the number of sentences.
There is an increased need to focus on the role of indigenous communities in knowledge gathering and decision-making processes at numerous scales. From international policy formation to local and regional management and decision-making. Participants were clear on the need to deepen the partnerships between indigenous knowledge holders and development practitioners to address the multifaceted issues facing conservation in the Amazon. Creating and strengthening these partnerships is the only sustainable way to address conservation issues and combat convergent crimes in the Amazon.
Although a relatively new concept internationally, free, prior and informed consent is one of the most important principles that indigenous peoples believe can protect their right to participation. Decisions about indigenous territories should not be made without indigenous voices. The effective implementation of this principles can be found in the form of specific laws and policies at the national level, established in compliance with ILO Convention 169 (eg Law 29785 in Peru).
There are many benefits of working directly with indigenous communities. First, in the fight against organised crime. Where Indigenous peoples have greater control of their territories, illegal economies can be controlled, or at least decreased, by the social and political structures of the communities themselves, while at the same time allowing for more flexible coordination with government authorities. Just as Indigenous peoples have proven to be a buffer against deforestation, they can be a central component in the fight against illegal activities in the Amazon if their own governance and territorial protection systems are supported4.
Second, in conservation efforts. A study published in the journal Nature found that indigenous lands in the Amazon have significantly lower rates of deforestation compared to other areas, highlighting the effectiveness of their conservation efforts. This is due, in part, to their deep-rooted belief in living in harmony with nature and their understanding of the delicate balance that must be maintained (Fund the Planet, 2023).
- Vallejos, P. Q., Veit, P., Tipula, P., & Reytar, K. (2020, October). Undermining Rights: Indigenous Lands and Mining in the Amazon. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/publication/undermining-rights ↩︎
- Brazil – IWGIA – International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs ↩︎
- Verne, S. (2019). She must be civilised, she paints her toenails. In N. Greymorning (Ed.), Being Indigenous. Perspectives on Activism, Culture, Language and Identity (pp. 171–184). Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge ↩︎
- The Growing Threat of Organized Crime in the Amazon | Amazon Watch ↩︎