Dear Jack,

We’re starting the new year inspired by the difference your campaigning has made in the last 12 months. 2024 began with an international media storm, as the terrible atrocities inflicted on the Baka people in the Congo rainforest made headlines around the world. Fast forward to the end of the year, and we saw Duma Boko, a human rights lawyer who represented the Bushmen in the legal victory that you supported, inaugurated as President of Botswana.

A year ago, we looked to 2024 with cautious optimism and trepidation. We knew that the world can change for the worse if people stand idly by.

But you didn’t. The public outcry by our supporters against violations of Indigenous rights worldwide brought real change. We start 2025 with a message of hope that by standing together with Indigenous peoples, we can make a real difference.

Here are just a few of your victories from the last 12 months:

Hongana Manyawa

Following Survival's campaign to stop the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa's rainforest in Indonesia being destroyed for nickel mining to make electric car batteries, car companies started to listen. Ford highlighted the need to protect uncontacted peoples' rights, while Tesla said it was exploring the need for a mining "no-go zone" on Hongana Manyawa territory.

Then, German chemical giant BASF pulled out of a $2.6bn nickel refining project to process the nickel stolen from the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa's lands.

Such major steps forward came about after 20,000 of you took action for the Hongana Manyawa – real-world proof that campaigning works.

Mashco Piro

The largest uncontacted tribe in the world has come under intense pressure in the Peruvian Amazon as logging companies target their rainforest. We drew attention to the impact on the Mashco Piro: 26,000 of you acted, calling for their territory to be expanded and protected.

This public outcry forced the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – an organization certifying logging companies as “ethical” – to suspend its certification of Canales Tahuamanu, one of the key logging companies operating on Mashco Piro land.

The government has reopened discussions about protecting the area, and now the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will rule on the case.

Maasai

The Maasai in Tanzania have been fighting violence and evictions at the hands of the Tanzanian authorities who are implementing “conservation” projects on Indigenous lands. This devastating conservation model is supported by big conservation corporations and Western funders. But after advocacy efforts by Survival and others, the European Commission cancelled almost €9.4 million of funding for violent conservation in Tanzania following the crackdown on the Maasai.

Baka

At the start of 2024, an exposé of the abuse faced by the Baka in the Congo at the hands of African Parks rangers, took the world’s press by storm. Almost 13,000 of you protested against abuses of the Baka and others, including beatings, torture and rape by park rangers.

Our pressure on African Parks led their leadership – which includes the UK’s Prince Harry – to hire a law firm to investigate the abuses.

Together, we’ll continue our campaigning to stop the abuses and ensure the Baka’s rights are respected.

Yanomami

Survival hosted Davi and Ehuana, both leaders of the Yanomami in Brazil, who described their situation to audiences in Germany and Spain.

Invasions of Yanomami land and the resulting health crisis worsened catastrophically during the Bolsonaro presidency. As President Lula took over, he declared a humanitarian crisis and launched an operation to remove illegal goldminers from the Yanomami territory.

The number of illegal invaders has since reduced from 20,000 to 7,000, and no new illegal mines were opened between September and November 2024.

In the last twelve months you sent more than 130,000 campaign emails, and gave us the resources to continue campaigning fearlessly, independent of any government or political party. Thank you.

Caroline Pearce
Director

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