In Peru’s Amazon, Indigenous communities face an escalating threat from organized crime, yet remain largely invisible to the state, according to a new report.

For years, criminal groups have encroached on Indigenous lands to exploit gold and timber, seed coca crops, and raze forests to build clandestine airstrips. The lack of formal land titles and a government that often prioritizes corporate interests over community rights, has further undermined Indigenous protection.

SEE ALSO: 6 Illegal Economies Threatening Latin America’s Ecosystems

These overlapping pressures are documented in the report “Situación de los defensores indígenas en Ucayali 2024” (The Situation of Indigenous Defenders in Ucayali 2024), published on May 15 by the nonprofit AIDESEP Ucayali,  (Organización Regional AIDESEP Ucayali – ORAU), the nonprofit Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR), and the Asociación ProPurús. The study focuses on communities in the Ucayali region in the central Amazon, as well as nearby areas in Huánuco and Loreto.

Below are three of its most important findings:

Illegal Economies Are Fueling Violence in Indigenous Territories

Peru’s Amazon has become a hotspot for interconnected illegal economies — including logging, land trafficking, drug production, and illegal mining. These activities reinforce each other: land grabbing often follows deforestation, which in turn facilitates the expansion of illicit crops, typically planted on illegally obtained lands.

These criminal economies have spread not only at the expense of forests and biodiversity, but also at the cost of Indigenous communities. As frontline defenders of the Amazon, Indigenous leaders have become frequent targets of threats and deadly violence.

The report singles out drug trafficking as the most violent and destabilizing force. “Beyond environmental damage, drug trafficking is the main driver of violence and insecurity, generating direct and constant threats to the lives of Indigenous leaders who oppose its activities,” the report states.

Coca cultivation has surged across Peru’s Amazon, jumping from 8,766 hectares in 2019 to 33,384 in 2023 — a 280% increase, according to Peru’s anti-drug agency (Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo y Vida sin Drogas – DEVIDA). Clandestine airstrips have also multiplied, often on land belonging to Indigenous communities.

The Kakataibo people have been among the hardest hit. At least six Kakataibo leaders and defenders were killed between 2020 and 2024. Witnesses from the community describe how drug trafficking has invaded everyday life, leaving residents frustrated by impunity, afraid to report abuses, and constantly at risk of retaliation.

Land Title Gaps Deepen Indigenous Vulnerability

The absence of formal land titles and clear boundaries has left Indigenous communities in a precarious position — vulnerable to both organized crime and corporate exploitation.

One recurring issue is the “overlapping of rights,” a situation in which various actors are granted legal claims over the same territory or resource.

In Puerto Inca province, Huánuco, the last Indigenous community was formally recognized in 2005 but remains without official land rights. According to the report, the delay is partly due to state agencies issuing competing rights — forest and mining concessions, permits for monocultures and cattle ranching — over the same lands.

This legal chaos has pitted Indigenous claims to ancestral territories against powerful interests, including agribusiness, logging, mining, and organized crime.

Similar dynamics are playing out in Ucayali, where more than 100 Indigenous communities face land conflicts driven by overlapping rights, drug trafficking expansion, and the proliferation of roads and illegal airstrips.

The State Lacks the Teeth to Protect Indigenous Communities

The Peruvian government’s response has been marked by weak institutions, political instability, and corruption, breeding deep mistrust among Indigenous communities.

Government protection mechanisms are slow, ineffective, and often fail to reflect the communal structures and cultural realities of Indigenous populations.

SEE ALSO: Verdict Near in Emblematic Murder Trial in Peruvian Amazon

Many communities do not trust the police or other state actors, whom they perceive as biased in favor of land grabbers — or worse, complicit in illegal activities. This widespread distrust discourages defenders from filing complaints or seeking institutional support.

To address this, the report recommends strengthening territorial security, improving early warning systems, and providing adequate resources to agencies like the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office.

Featured Image: Defenders of the Indigenous Kakataibo community in Peru. Credit: Amazon Watch.

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