Indigenous Peoples Held Up as Key to a Safer Amazon
A new call places Indigenous communities at the centre of efforts to protect the world's largest tropical forest.
Protecting the Amazon depends on the people who know it best. That is the message at the heart of a new appeal highlighting the central role of Indigenous Peoples in safeguarding the world's largest tropical forest.
The forest faces pressure from powerful global markets for gold and cocaine, which are reaching deep into its heart.
So far, the international community has not done enough to counter these threats. But the response points to a clear and hopeful path forward.
The argument is simple: there can be no lasting security in the Amazon without Indigenous Peoples. Their presence, knowledge and stewardship are essential to keeping the forest standing.
The call comes from Amazon Watch, an Ecoflix partner, which works alongside Indigenous communities across the region.
By centring those who live in and depend on the forest, the approach offers a practical model for protecting both people and place.
Strengthening the rights and role of Indigenous Peoples is framed not as an obstacle to security, but as its foundation.
It is a reminder that the forest's future and the futures of its first guardians are bound together.
With greater international support behind this vision, there is real hope for turning the tide against the forces threatening the Amazon.
You can watch the story to learn more about the communities at the forefront of this work.