Protecting Environmental Defenders: AKAM Hosts Knowledge-Sharing Event

The 'Safety for Environmental Defenders' event. // CREDIT: Maia Galmés Feuer

On Wednesday, 13 November, Aktion Amazonas hosted the event “Safety for Environmental Defenders” at Globalhagen House in Copenhagen. The event brought together members of NGOs, activists, and experts to discuss the urgent challenges faced by those defending the Amazon and other conflict zones around the world.

This event marked the conclusion of a collaborative project supported by Globalt Fokus and aimed at developing a comprehensive manual with concrete recommendations and practical tools to improve safety for environmental defenders. The project was coordinated and led by Aktion Amazonas, in partnership with Danish NGOs DIB, Diálogos, and Saving Rivers and Lakes, who contributed consultancy input throughout its development.

Participants during the Safety for Environmental Defenders event. // CREDIT: Maia Galmés Feuer

Participants during the Safety for Environmental Defenders event. // CREDIT: Maia Galmés Feuer

Participants during the Safety for Environmental Defenders event. // CREDIT: Maia Galmés Feuer

The manual draws on extensive data and testimony collected by local partners Conservación Amazónica – ACCA in Peru and Conservación Amazónica – ACEAA in Bolivia. These organizations conducted interviews and gathered quantitative information about the security situation facing environmental defenders in the regions of Madre de Dios and Pando. Their work provided the foundation for a structured analysis of existing laws, protection mechanisms, recurring threats, and the realities environmental defenders face daily. You can read the manual here.

Latin America remains the most dangerous region in the world to be an environmental defender, and as Program Coordinator, Ditlev Damhus explained that several of the areas where Aktion Amazonas works, remain critically understudied. The manual therefore fills an essential gap by systematizing existing knowledge while bringing forward new findings from the field. It includes both a security protocol designed for international NGOs working in high-risk environments, and a collection of strategic recommendations developed together with ACCA to strengthen local protection mechanisms.

Damhus further explains that "the Amazon serves as the case study, but the manual is intended to be adaptable and applicable across environmental conflict zones globally".

Toke F. Nyborg, executive director of Aktion Amazonas, during the defenders event. // CREDIT: Maia Galmés Feuer

As Executive Director of Aktion Amazonas, Toke F. Nyborg reflected on the fact that "working with environmental activists and Indigenous communities in regions affected by illegal mining, illegal logging, and other criminal activities comes with significant risks". These risks, he explained, extend not only to defenders themselves but also to international NGOs conducting monitoring and capacity-building activities in these territories. Clear risk mitigation strategies, he stressed, are therefore essential to prevent confrontation and to ensure that organizations know how to respond if incidents occur.

At the event, participants had the opportunity to hear these insights directly, engage in dialogue, and discuss practical approaches for strengthening safety in their own work. Representatives from several NGOs shared perspectives on threats, protection strategies, and the broader implications of environmental conflict zones.

By bringing together practitioners, analysts, and organizations working on the ground, the event turned the manual into a living tool: one that is actively shared, discussed, and prepared for real-world application.

Aktion Amazonas thanks every participant and partner for contributing to a stronger, more informed network working to protect environmental defenders gobally.