During the **First exchange of [Amazon indigenous peoples](https://noticiasambientales.com/compromiso-ambiental/los-pueblos-indigenas-son-la-clave-para-proteger-el-medio-ambiente/#google_vignette)** on illegal gold mining and mercury pollution, held in July (from 2nd to 4th) at **Amacayacu National Natural Park** in Leticia, **Colombia**, a specific claim was made.
Delegations from **Colombia, Peru, and Brazil** issued a joint statement with **25 demands** to protect their territories, health, and culture against one of the [most serious threats to the **Amazon**](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/bosques-en-alerta-victimas-de-mineria-narcotrafico-y-deforestacion/).
The meeting brought together **indigenous representatives, local communities**, government authorities, and technical specialists in a cross-cultural dialogue focused on the **social, environmental, cultural, and health impacts** of gold mining and mercury use in the region.
## A regional roadmap against illegal mining
Based on territorial analysis, country deliberation, and exchange of experiences, a **regional roadmap** was developed that combines **ancestral knowledge** with **legal, institutional, and international advocacy tools**.
The participatory validated pronouncement includes **25 proposals and demands** aimed at ensuring the **protection of territorial rights**, the safety of environmental defenders, and the preservation of the health and the Amazonian environment.
## The main demands of indigenous peoples
Among the most relevant demands, Amazonian peoples claim:
– **Demarcation, titling, and legal security** of ancestral territories, halting laws and policies that undermine their rights.
– **Effective protection** for environmental defenders, including strengthening **indigenous guards**.
– Compliance with the **right to prior, free, and informed consultation** on any project affecting their territories.
– **Strengthening women’s leadership** and eradicating gender-based violence aggravated by illegal mining.
– Recognition and application of **ancestral knowledge and traditional medicine** in health and conservation policies.
– Specialized **physical and mental health programs** on the effects of mercury, with emphasis on children and women.
– Establishment of an **Amazonian health monitoring network** to measure mercury exposure and its impacts.
– Guarantee of **food security and sovereignty**, affected by fish contamination.
– **Intercultural educational programs** adapted to territorial realities, emphasizing traditional medicine and communication.
– **Own environmental information systems**, led by indigenous communities with youth participation.
– Promotion of **sustainable economies** such as community and ecological tourism.
– Protection of **Isolated or Initially Contacted Indigenous Peoples (PIACI)** and transborder peoples.
– Declaration of **Amazonian forests and indigenous peoples as World Heritage** by UNESCO.
– **Cross-border cooperation** to combat illegal gold and mercury trade.
– Reduction of gold consumption and trade, highlighting their impacts on health and the environment.
– Allocation of **state budget** to implement measures, with indigenous participation at each stage.
## An urgent call for international action
The event featured the virtual participation of **Richard Gutiérrez**, representative of the **Minamata Convention**. He reaffirmed the commitment to **highlight the voice of indigenous peoples** in international spaces and emphasized the urgency of generating scientific evidence on the impacts of mercury, especially on the health of future generations.
The activity was organized by the **Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS Peru)**, the **Amazon Alliance for the Reduction of the Impacts of Gold Mining (AARIMO)**, and the **Illegal Mining Observatory (OMI)**, with the support of the **Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation**.
This **collective pronouncement** is considered a key step to strengthen the regional articulation of Amazonian indigenous peoples and their capacity for international advocacy against illegal gold mining and mercury pollution, two of the greatest threats to the **biodiversity and cultures of the Amazon**.
