Indigenous peoples and local communities are at the heart of the fight against climate change and environmental destruction. When a new mine breaks ground, when land is grabbed, or when industrial loggers raze forests, they are the...

Today, Brazil celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day. However, on a day that is supposed to celebrate their ancestors, culture and stories, many of Indigenous Peoples are instead fighting for their lands and their rights. According to a...

Indigenous communities the world over are on the front lines of environmental destruction. Many have been fighting for centuries to protect land, water and air from threats like overfishing, deforestation and industrial development. ...

For the Ka’apor people of Brazil, protecting the Amazon rainforest isn’t just about climate change or wildlife. It is about survival. As one community leader explains, “It's in the forest that lies our life. Without the forest, we...

For hundreds of years the Khanty people of Western Siberia have lived in harmony with nature. But as the oil industry seizes more and more of their land, their animals perish in oil spills and reindeer herders are losing their last...

In just two months, fire has consumed over 45 percent of the Amazon rainforest in the Arariboia Indigenous Land – an area of protected forest that is home to thousands of people. And despite their efforts, the fire continues to rage...

This month the fate of a Russian jewel will be decided in a small town in Western Siberia. The town is Beloyarsky and the jewel is the Numto nature preserve. The oil company Surgutneftegas already extracts oil from the park but now...

The Brazilian government is currently gearing up to build dozens of energy-producing megadams in the Amazon. São Luiz do Tapajos will be one of the largest – second only to Belo Monte. If it is built, it will devastate the rich...

Before I joined Greenpeace, I lived in the Amazon rainforest for several months. I still remember waking up every morning and listening to the amazing sound of birds and insects. It felt as if the trees were singing along in a chorus...

It’s a good week for the Amazon rainforest! Just yesterday, Brazil’s environmental agency – Ibama – announced it was suspending the license to build the massive São Luiz do Tapajós dam on the Tapajós River. The reason? The agency...

Last week, defender of the environment and human rights, Berta Cáceres publicly denounced the murder of several indigenous leaders and the threats she herself was subjected to daily in Honduras. Today, we woke up to the shocking news...

In September of this year, Chief Phil Lane Jr. (Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations) asked me to help prepare a document for presentation at the Indigenous World Wisdom Gathering, during the climate conference in Paris. The...

This Wednesday, I had barely had breakfast when I was surprised by some absolutely amazing news: the Brazilian environmental agency – IBAMA – announced it would cancel the process for licensing the São Luiz do Tapajós (SLT) megadam...

For Indigenous activists defending their traditional lands, Brazil is one of the most dangerous places in the world . Xavante indigenous people from Maraiãwatsede with traditional body paint for war. Due to conflicts over land...

For months, the Standing Rock Sioux and allies have been protecting their water by resisting construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would carry 500,000 barrels of oil a day from North Dakota to Illinois in the United States.

On November 27, the Munduruku Indigenous People traveled from their home in the Amazon to Brazil’s capital to demand the official recognition of the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land on the Tapajós River. The Brazilian government is planning...

If you ask Google to translate the Portuguese word “ temer ”, the result is “ to fear ”. Temer is the name of the current president of Brazil. And fear is what many Brazilians have been feeling lately. Temer took office after the ...