In the Amazon, particularly Peru’s Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, the most immediate threat to the rainforest is not climate change directly but organized crime. Indigenous communities are struggling to protect their ancestral lands as drug trafficking, illegal gold mining, and logging intensify. This illegal activity leads directly to deforestation, undermining global efforts to preserve crucial carbon sinks. The violence is escalating, with forest guardians receiving death threats while working to defend the trees.
Nov 22, 2025 swissinfo