Their lives are in danger because they protect the environment
Salomé Aranda is a Kichwa leader who has lived in the Ecuadorian Amazon her entire life. Like her ancestors, she has a deep relationship with the rainforest and will protect it at all cost. But after speaking with President Moreno about the environmental impacts of oil activities, Salomé and her family were attacked at their home.
Salomé survived the attack but being an environmental rights defender can have deadly consequences, making it among the deadliest types of activism. In 2017 alone, more than 200 environmental activists were killed.
Environmental rights defenders are people who look after the well-being of their communities and their land by protecting the air, water and forests from destruction or contamination.
Their work concerns us all because it carries huge global significance. Take for example the Amazon rainforest, the lungs of the Earth, which for hundreds of years have been safeguarded by Indigenous Peoples. Today, they are on the front lines of the battle to save it from deforestation.
Make a regular donation today to protect environmental rights defenders
-
By defending their rights you are defending the earth.
-
You are helping us investigate attacks against indigenous communities and bring criminals to justice.
-
You are ensuring environmental rights defenders can safely continue their important work.
We’re 100% independent and always will be
Amnesty doesn’t accept funding from governments or political organisations. This financial independence means we’re free to campaign with objectivity and impartiality and to defend human rights worldwide.
All donations of $2 and over are tax deductible in Australia.