The Chiquitano forest, a 23-million-hectare tropical dry forest spanning eastern Bolivia and western Brazil, is one of South America’s most unique ecosystems. Home to over 3,000 plant species and 1,200 vertebrate species, including jaguars and giant anteaters, it provides critical ecosystem services for approximately 3 million people, including Indigenous peoples, local communities, small-scale farmers, and agribusiness operations.

Environmental Human Rights Defenders are globally under severe threat. To help address this, IUCN NL initiated a three-year programme in five countries to strengthen the security and resilience of its partners and the Indigenous and local communities they work with in forest landscapes. We teamed up with Protection International who trained and supported them to better understand the risks they face and to develop strategies that enhance their safety and wellbeing.

In Bolivia’s Northern Amazon, the basins of the Beni and Madre de Dios rivers encompass the Madidi National Park. This is one of the most biodiverse areas in the continent, which is home to 26 Indigenous Originary Campesino Territories, approx. 500 mammal species, approximately 1000 bird species, including Red List species such as the jaguar and spectacled bear. Alluvial gold mining has caused severe environmental destruction and human rights. Interconnected strategies that combine evidence generation, engagement with international human rights reporting mechanisms, and alliance building have been crucial to demand accountability and advance water justice.