Amid many horrifying stories emerging from the Amazon – including the recent COVID-19 deaths of Indigenous elders from Ecuador to Brazil – there are also important victories from which we should draw inspiration and strength.

The struggle to defend 5 million acres of Achuar and Wampis ancestral territory in the Peruvian Amazon has just notched another win, with the announcement of the irrevocable departure of Chile-based oil company GeoPark.

The present defense of this biodiverse region – roughly the size of Massachusetts – has been a multi-decade process. Amazon Watch has long partnered with the Achuar to successfully expel multiple international oil companies, including ARCO, Occidental Petroleum, and Talisman Energy.

Today, we celebrate years of collaboration and hard work to fend off yet another oil company that was supported by the world's largest investment firms and powerful governments.