The lives of environmental leaders and defenders are constantly threatened by the advance of illegal mining, logging, and drug trafficking. According to the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), from 2013 to 2023, 23 leaders from the Kichwa, Kakataibo, Asháninka, Nomatsiguenga, Yanesha, and Kukama ethnic groups have become the victims of violence.

Sadly, Victorio Dariquebe Gerewa, an indigenous environmental leader and park ranger of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, has now joined the list of environmental defenders who have been killed for their dedication to caring for the Amazon.

At the Wyss Academy for Nature, we strongly condemn this act and declare the following statement.

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