Amazonian Peoples Warn of Severe Problems from Extractivism

Indigenous peoples, social organizations, and local communities from across the Amazon basin have issued a stark warning about the devastating consequences of extractivism. The XII Pan-Amazonian Social Forum (FOSPA Ecuador 2026), bringing together diverse groups from nine Amazonian countries, highlighted the severe problems stemming from resource extraction industries.

Pedro Arrojo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, addressed the forum, explaining how the Amazon's vast hydrological network, crucial for biodiversity and continental rainfall, is being undermined. He stated that the dominant "extractivist development model" is fracturing this vital ecological system. This model, he argued, drives accelerated deforestation, including through fires, degrades soil fertility, increases temperatures, and reduces plant evapotranspiration, which feeds the "flying rivers" essential for rainfall in the Amazon and beyond.

Furthermore, Arrojo condemned the "massive toxic contamination of rivers, wetlands, and aquifers" caused by mining's heavy metals and agricultural pesticides. He also pointed to the "insatiable expansion of industrial agriculture" and frequent oil spills that cumulatively and irreversibly poison populations. The impacts are particularly devastating for children, with "terrible data on unwanted abortions and malformations in newborns." Arrojo declared this a "crime against humanity."

The special rapporteur also criticized large hydroelectric dams for breaking Amazonian river connectivity and collapsing vital ecological functions. He noted the rapid growth of large cities where many residents live in impoverished conditions without sanitation, exacerbating river pollution. Arrojo concluded that Amazonian populations face a "much more brutal neocolonial exploitation than suffered in colonial times," with their rights, including prior informed consent, being ignored while their leaders are criminalized or even killed. Despite these challenges, he recognized the peoples' ongoing resistance, territorial vigilance, and community water management efforts.