“Those flames will reach you, too.”

Patricia Gualinga, Kichwa of Sarayaku, recently reminded the world that the current fires in the Amazon – the worst in 20 years – demand our urgent attention. As the heart of our planet burns, Indigenous peoples are on the front lines putting out the fires and leading the path forward to a less fire-prone future for the rainforest.

Will you play your part in creating a healthy future for the Amazon?

Science reveals a connection between worsening fires in the western U.S. and hurricanes in the North Atlantic, linked to deforestation and wildfires in the Amazon Basin. As Indigenous peoples remind us, harm to the Amazon hurts us all. Protecting the rainforest safeguards our climate and supports global biodiversity.

But, for their bravery protecting the Amazon, Indigenous peoples face grave risks. Indigenous leaders from Peru just spoke at the U.N. about how criminal economies are increasingly targeting Earth Defenders with threats, displacement, and even assassination. Their struggle to safeguard the Amazon is not only for their survival, but the planet’s well-being.

The fires, which have burned an area the size of Costa Rica, are a clear call to action: it’s time for us all to do our part to secure Indigenous solutions like land titling and a fossil fuel phase-out. We urge you to support the true climate leaders – Indigenous peoples – as they battle fires, restore their territories, and advance solutions to stop the industries violently threatening the rainforest and its defenders.

For healthy rainforests,

Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director