Water, Land and Life

Indigenous women across the world are the first line of defense against the causes and impacts of climate breakdown. Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have been the stewards of the lands comprising Turtle Island—also known as North America.

Time after time, they have challenged the damaging aspects of industries rampaging unhampered through forests, wetlands, oceans, and biodiversity hotspots. Despite the crucial role Indigenous women play and the dangers they increasingly face being clearer than ever, harassment, criminalization and killings continue and, in some countries, are on the rise. In spite of this, land defenders and water protectors around the world are not backing down, they continue to hold the line and resist, challenging the systems that justify environmental degradation and human rights abuse.

Land defenders and water protectors

Internationally recognized human rights organization, Global Witness, defines land defenders and water protectors as people who take peaceful action and stand against the unjust, discriminatory, corrupt or damaging exploitation of natural resources or the environment.

Each year, Global Witness issues a report to highlight those who are harassed, criminalized and killed for defending land and protecting water from pollution, privatization and destruction. The 2022 report, A Decade of Defiance, recorded that 200 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2021—nearly four people a week.

Dive into real stories on this interactive map.

The important role Indigenous women play

Indigenous land defenders and water protectors, especially women, face criminalization, threats, harassment, violence and death as a result of their work to protect people and the planet.

Colonization has allowed extractive industries to profit from drilling, logging, mining, and fracking on lands on or near Indigenous territories for far too long, treating communities like dumping grounds for industrial waste and pollution. Large “man camps” for oil and gas industry workers are often sited in these same communities, bringing violence and crime. These “man camps” are a major contributor to the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women epidemic, which describes the disproportionate rates at which Indigenous women are missing and murdered—with justice often never being brought to the families of the victims. This pervasive breaching of consent over lands, bodies, and identities causes immense emotional and spiritual suffering for Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous women land defenders and water protectors.

Mother Earth needs you

Land and water are inextricably connected to the climate crisis. We are falling behind on the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and we need bold and immediate action if we want to catch up. Globally, women and girls are often more vulnerable to the impacts of the mounting climate crisis. They are more likely to die in natural disasters and are disproportionately affected by the long-term impacts of drought and flooding.

It is crucial that all people come to understand that land and water are life. Together, we must bring an end to the destruction and pollution of lands and waters, which culminates globally in the climate crisis. By enacting meaningful changes to the intersecting systems of oppression that make environmental violence in Indigenous communities a grim reality, we can repair society’s relationship with our lands and waters, unlocking their potential to mitigate both causes and impacts of climate change.

Take the pledge today!

Meet Our Partners

Indigenous Peoples Rights International aspires to reduce and prevent the criminalization of and violence against Indigenous Peoples in order to secure the safety of Indigenous individuals and communities under threat.

Learn more about IPRI’s work here.

The Blue Planet Project is part of a global movement, with partners around the world that promotes the fundamental truth that “water is life.” It strives for water justice based on the principles that water is a human right, a public trust and part of the global commons.

Watch BPP in action here.

Take a stand

Climate crisis and environmental degradation is felt disproportionately by frontline communities who contribute and benefit the least from root causes like deforestation, fossil fuels extraction, privatization, and land and water grabs.

We all have a responsibility to come together and stand with Indigenous women land defenders and water protectors. It’s crucial that all people understand that land and water are life. Take action today and pledge to stand up for water, land and life.

Support land defenders and water protectors when you purchase a Guardian Of The Forest Bath Bomb with 100% of the purchase price (minus the taxes) going to partners and grants to organizations campaigning for and supporting Indigenous women protecting water, land and life.