Defend the defenders

A local resident paddles a traditional boat, showcasing the coral reefs and mangroves along the coast of Yangeffo Island, Raja Ampat Regency. — © Wendy Mitchell / Greenpeace

Our planet’s vital defenses against climate change and biodiversity loss are being stripped away in real-time. We see it in the smoke-filled forests of the Amazon in Brazil, the bleaching reefs of Raja Ampat in Indonesia. The life-support systems that provide the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the climate stability we need for our future are under siege.

This is not a distant threat: it is the defining emergency of our present moment.

Where greedy extractive industries like illegal gold and nickel mining see only profit, Indigenous Peoples and coastal communities have life and ancestry. We must stand with the families who are defending their roots and homes with resilience and care.

These communities have protected forests and oceans for millennia; their rights are the shield that protects life for us all. Standing with them to guarantee their sovereignty is the most powerful act of protection we can take for the planet and future generations.

We demand world leaders move beyond empty promises and immediately recognise the legal territories and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Together we can build a way of life where nature and people thrive together.

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Join us in demanding the recognition of Indigenous rights and their territories.

We’ll bring your signatures directly to decision makers at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in October.

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Stop greed from destroying forests

Demarcated in 1985, the Sararé Indigenous Land remains under siege by thousands of miners who are playing a game of cat and mouse with the security and environmental protection forces. Home to the Nambikwara people, the 67,000-hectare territory has been systematically dismantled by the action of hundreds of hydraulic excavators that, day and night, deepen the drama of a people who are held hostage in their own home.

Very close to the seven villages that are home to a population of 250 people, and spread across almost half of the territory, mining continues to expand and make the Nambikwara way of life unviable, ignoring the right of this population to live according to their customs and traditions. — Illegal Mining in the Sararé Indigenous Land in the Amazon. © Fabio Bispo / Greenpeace

As we face the critical reality of climate breakdown, we are witnessing a rush for mineral extraction for the sake of rampant economic growth. The destructive mining industry is killing ancient forests, poisoning life-giving water and bringing violence to those who stand in their way.

From deep in the Amazon to the shores of Raja Ampat, greedy billionaires see illegal gold and nickel mining as a way to turn a profit, leaving a trail of destruction in biodiverse sanctuaries.

But there is a shield against this senseless greed. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have been resisting the plunder of their territories with courage for hundreds of years.

They show us that a different way of living centered on balance and a connection with nature – is possible. In a world where greedy billionaires think Earth is theirs to plunder, Indigenous-led defense is one of our greatest hopes for a green, safe and just future for everyone.

We demand world leaders stop the industrial destruction and recogniseIndigenous Peoples’ territories and rights. We must stand with the guardians of the forest to protect the ecosystems that maintain all life on Earth.

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