By Bryan Ludeña
The Cuencas Sagradas Alliance celebrates the inclusion of three leaders connected to its work in the list of The 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action in 2026, an initiative by Sachamama in partnership with Agencia EFE. Presented on October 24, as part of International Climate Action Day, this recognition highlights people who turn their commitment to the planet into action through communities, science, communications, politics, and other fields. (efeverde.com)
For our Alliance, this recognition has a collective meaning. The journeys of Domingo Peas, María Andi, and Olivia Bisa reflect the peoples, communities, and organizational processes that sustain the defense of the Amazon every day.
In a world where the scale of today’s challenges can fuel uncertainty and discouragement, their stories remind us that people committed to the climate and the common good make a real difference. They make a difference by defending a river, supporting a community, passing on knowledge, or creating spaces for Indigenous voices to participate in decisions that affect their future.
Recognition that brings visibility to action
In its eighth edition, the initiative expanded community participation through 20 open calls for public nominations. These nominations were added to proposals submitted by more than 30 organizations, in a process that included evaluation by an international jury.
The importance of this recognition lies in making different forms of action visible and showing that climate leadership is also built from within the territories. For the Cuencas Sagradas Alliance, it represents an opportunity to bring these experiences to new audiences and invite more allies to support solutions led by Indigenous peoples.
Uyunkar Domingo Peas: Bringing efforts together to protect the Amazon
Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai, an Achuar leader from Ecuador and president of the Cuencas Sagradas Alliance, has more than three decades of experience in the Indigenous movement. His leadership has helped bring together efforts to protect the Amazon and recognize its peoples as protagonists in decisions concerning their territories.
Through the Alliance, he promotes an agenda that connects territorial governance with proposals such as Life Zones free from extractive activities, recognition of Indigenous rights, and direct access to climate and biodiversity financing. His work connects Amazonian priorities with international spaces for dialogue and collaboration.
María Andi: Educating those who will care for the territory
María Loida Andi López, a Kichwa leader from Napo and academic coordinator of the Escuela Viva de la Amazonía, has dedicated her career to education and community strengthening. Her experience combines training in educational management with work alongside communities and institutions.
Her contribution places an essential task at the center: preparing new generations to exercise leadership rooted in identity and connection to the territory. The Escuela Viva de la Amazonía brings together Indigenous and Western knowledge, offering training in governance, rights, youth leadership, and forest conservation.
This recognition highlights education as part of climate action: passing on knowledge and strengthening capacities also helps communities make decisions and build their own future.
Olivia Bisa: Defending the territory and the right to decide
Olivia Bisa Tirkopresident of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation in Peru and a member of the board of the Cuencas Sagradas Alliance, is a committed voice for collective rights and the protection of the Amazon. Her work includes defending the territory against the environmental and social impacts of oil activity.
Through her leadership, she coordinates forest monitoring, denounces pollution, and defends the rights of women and Indigenous peoples. Her journey demonstrates the close relationship between climate action, territorial autonomy, and environmental justice.
Recognizing her work also reminds us of our responsibility to support and protect those who defend life from within their communities.
Caring for the Amazon means caring for our shared future
The Amazon plays a fundamental role in the planet’s balance. Its forests store enormous amounts of carbon, help regulate temperatures, and sustain water and rainfall cycles on which territories both within and beyond the region depend. Protecting the Amazon is essential for the climate and biodiversity.
For Indigenous peoples, this territory is also home, memory, food, spirituality, and living culture. Supporting those who care for it therefore requires recognizing their rights, strengthening their institutions, and accompanying their proposals with lasting commitments.
The Cuencas Sagradas Alliance congratulates Domingo Peas, María Andi, and Olivia Bisa. We celebrate their journeys and the collective work that sustains them. Their recognition calls us to deepen our commitment: every effort to keep Amazonian forests, rivers, and cultures alive contributes to a shared future.