The short version
- Indigenous delegates argue that deforestation and pollution are driven by armed criminal syndicates rather than isolated environmental violations.
- A proposed new UN protocol aims to address illicit mining and logging, though the extent of Indigenous participation in negotiations remains unclear.
- Violence against land defenders has surged, with Latin America accounting for the vast majority of global killings in 2025.
Indigenous representatives from across the Amazon basin are convening at a United Nations conference in Vienna to reframe environmental destruction as a matter of international security. More than a dozen leaders from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador are participating in COP13, the thirteenth session of the UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Their central objective is to persuade member states to treat illegal mining, logging, and drug trafficking not merely as regulatory failures, but as coordinated criminal enterprises that require robust financial and legal countermeasures.
The urgency of their appeal stems from escalating violence and ecological degradation in ancestral territories. Galois Flores, representing the Wampis Nation in Peru, described a situation where mercury contamination from gold mining has poisoned rivers essential for drinking and fishing. He noted that these criminal operations are well-funded and armed, posing direct threats to community safety. In response, the Wampis have established monitoring posts staffed by Indigenous guards to confront illegal miners, though this resistance comes at significant personal risk.
Similar patterns of encroachment and violence are reported in other regions. In Peru’s central Amazon, the Kakataibo people face threats from drug traffickers who have set up coca plantations and processing labs within their forests. Marcelo Odicio, president of the Federation of Native Kakataibo Communities, reported that six leaders have been killed since 2020. Across the border in Brazil, Ashaninka leader Francisco Piyako Apiwtxa described incidents where armed men entered communities to search for Indigenous leaders, highlighting a lack of adequate government protection.
In Colombia’s Putumayo region, Ingry Mojanajinsoy observed a shift in criminal strategy. Armed groups that previously relied on drug trafficking are increasingly turning to illegal mining. Even when these operations occur outside designated Indigenous territories, the environmental damage is transboundary. Pollution travels downstream, contaminating water sources and fish stocks that local communities depend on for sustenance.
The human cost of this conflict is stark. According to Global Witness, at least 105 land and environmental defenders were killed in Latin America in 2025. This figure represents 85% of the 124 such killings documented worldwide during that period. Colombia recorded the highest number of deaths with 39, followed by Brazil with 26. These statistics underscore the lethal nature of defending territorial rights against organized crime.
The Vienna conference provides a platform for governments to consider launching negotiations on a new protocol addressing environmental crimes. This potential agreement would cover illegal mining, logging, and wildlife trafficking. Raphael Hoetmer of Amazon Watch criticized current government responses, which often rely on military raids. He argued that such tactics fail to address root causes and can inadvertently place Indigenous communities in the crossfire.
Delegates are calling for a shift toward empowering local stewardship. They advocate for stronger legal recognition of Indigenous land rights and increased support for community-led protection initiatives. Flores emphasized the need to trace illicit financial flows and disrupt markets for illegally mined gold, treating these crimes with the same severity as drug or arms trafficking.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated that it collaborates with Indigenous communities to combat organized crime. The agency highlighted a project in Brazil that assists communities in monitoring illegal gold mining and improving coordination with authorities. This initiative has helped lay the groundwork for a national system to detect environmental crimes. However, the UN did not clarify whether Indigenous representatives will have a formal role in negotiating the proposed protocol.
As negotiations proceed, the focus remains on integrating Indigenous voices into international policy-making. Leaders insist that any new framework must include serious consultation with those most affected by environmental crimes. The outcome of COP13 could set a precedent for how global institutions address the intersection of ecological preservation and transnational security.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- PBS NewsHour↗Criminal networks threaten the Amazon. Indigenous leaders want the UN to act
