The Emergence of Amazonian Indigenous Defenders: The Case of the Centro Arenal Community

Parallel to the territorial demands of the Amazonian indigenous people, pressures have increased on their territories by third parties engaged in illicit activities, such as illegal logging, drug trafficking, and illegal land trafficking. Public decisions have favored these activities at different government levels that either do not respond effectively to existing problems or, unfortunately, end up making them worse, as reflected by the promotion of infrastructure projects. The present case shows the association of existing threats, such as the exclusive state policy of not recognizing indigenous lands and placing indigenous defenders between a rock and a hard place for defending their territories.