The Observatory of Illicit Economies in the Amazon Basin leverages GI-TOC’s longstanding expertise when it comes to convening various stakeholders and producing innovative research to find solutions to the rising threat of organized crime in the world’s largest rainforest. The Amazon has become the focal point of a series of intertwined illicit economies, including gold mining, drug cultivation and distribution, and the trafficking of local timber and wildlife. This complex criminal ecosystem is an important driver of the environmental devastation that is afflicting the rainforest. Considering the Amazon’s critical role in climate regulation and conservation efforts at a global level, understanding the ways in which organized crime is influencing the environment and dynamics of governance and violence in the region is of the utmost importance.

The Amazon Observatory focuses on the following core activities:

• Policy-relevant research and analysis: The Observatory conducts comprehensive multi-country research on organized crime in the Amazon, focusing both on its transnational connections and local impact.  The Observatory’s research agenda covers the major illicit economies of the Amazon basin, and also deals with issues of governance and community responses to organized crime.
• Multi-stakeholder engagement: The Observatory establishes dialogue with government agencies throughout the Amazon region. It provides a neutral platform for discussion and cooperation that facilitate the implementation of policy measures against organized crime. The Observatory also provides actionable guidance based on GI-TOC’s research expertise for  environmental regulators and law-enforcement across the Amazon.
• Resilience building: The Observatory cultivates a network of civil society leaders, local journalists and researchers that raise awareness of environmental crimes and denounce illicit actors in the Amazon. This network was launched over a series of resilience dialogues organized by the Amazon Observatory in May 2024. Through this network, the Observatory provides a space for environmental defenders and local activists to share best practices to confront environmental devastation and criminal violence in their respective communities.