Amazon Watch

Amazon Watch protects the Amazon rainforest and supports the region's indigenous peoples in defending their rights and opposing industrial projects such as oil and gas drilling.

How do you help people in my community?

Human rights are a universal issue, and climate change affects us all.  In addition to driving weather on the planet, the Amazon rainforest provides countless other benefits for humanity; it contains 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, one third of all plant and animal species and countless medicinal plants used to treat illnesses such as cancer and AIDS. Now, as our world faces rapid climate chaos, indigenous peoples’ vision, values and their struggles to protect the rainforest become vital in safeguarding the earth’s ecological balance for future generations.

By holding the oil industry and other global institutions accountable in the Amazon, Amazon Watch is helping to set legal, moral and business standards that also influence corporate behavior within the U.S. Ultimately, the U.S. and world economies will have to be weaned off oil as an energy source. The quest for oil is pushing the industry deeper into the Amazon’s most pristine areas in search of more fossil fuel reserves that our plant cannot afford to burn. The sooner we begin to redirect public and private investments away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner, renewable energy alternatives, the more chance we have to achieve peace, energy security, and climate stability for all.

Why do you need my support?

Amazon Watch is a relatively small non-profit, with just over $700,000 of income projected in 2006. As such, every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference to our ability to implement our unique mission; to defend both the Amazon rainforest and the human rights of its indigenous peoples.

Unlike many “environmental” groups, we strongly believe that the fates of both the rainforest and its human inhabitants are intertwined and that the best way to protect the Amazon’s stunningly biodiverse rainforests is by defending and empowering conservation-minded local communities. Our work is now more urgent than ever. Scientists have estimated that as much as half of the entire Amazon rainforest has been either razed or significantly degraded.

As oil drilling, cattle-ranching, soy cultivation and other large-scale economic activities increase, the coming decade will be critical for the future of the Amazon. Amazon Watch hopes to provide a powerful voice in the policy debate about the Amazon and the crucial role it plays in regulating global climate.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

Amazon Watch is a small, lean organization of nine staff people that achieves a great deal on a relatively modest budget.  More than 76 cents of every dollar donated to us is spent on our core programs and training and equipment to our partners in the Amazon. We keep administrative costs to a minimum and depend as much as possible on in-kind donations for products and services and frequent flyer miles for international travel. 

Our independent Treasurer of the Board reviews all budget and financial reports and we use the services of a Certified Public Accountant to conduct an independent financial audit (available upon request by emailing amazon@amazonwatch.org).. We maximize the amount of time and resources that we focus on our programmatic work, including  direct engagement with companies involved in damaging projects in the Amazon and their shareholders, public education and outreach, capacity-building among indigenous communities, research and fact-finding, and media campaigning, garnering coverage from outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Few non-profits of our scale and resources can claim as much.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Amazon Watch has opportunities for volunteers and interns in each of our three offices, in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles. For more details, please visit our website: www.amazonwatch.org or contact our Associate Director, Jennifer DeLury Ciplet, at jennifer@amazonwatch.org.