Say Hello to These Guardians of the Amazon

Amid threats from loggers, miners and armed groups, Indigenous communities across Colombia’s Amazon have formed unarmed patrols to defend their forest — guided not by weapons, but by ancestral wisdom and unity.

“In the Amazon, protection is spiritual,” says Patricia Suárez of the Murui people. “Our elders use dances, songs and medicinal plants to defend the forest from a spiritual point of view.”

Born from sacred ceremonies beside the Caquetá River, these Indigenous Guards now patrol vast rainforest territories, confronting illegal activity through dialogue and cooperation. Their peaceful vigilance has helped preserve one of Earth’s greatest carbon sinks, proving that courage, tradition and respect for nature can still stand firm against violence.