This paper examines the intersection of climate justice and criminal governance through the experiences of indigenous communities defending their commons in the extractive frontier of the Peruvian Amazon. Drawing on interviews with indigenous leaders from various regions, the study explores how conservation efforts are influenced by both state policies and Illicit activities pressures, such as land trafficking, logging, mining and the drug trade. These threats complicate the communities' efforts to protect their territories, revealing the political dimensions of climate justice. Indigenous communities are forced to navigate the tension between imposed conservation measures, limited resources or unequal distribution of climate change funds, and the need to secure their livelihoods. Moreover, illicit extractive economies—while generating revenue—bring violence and environmental degradation, further eroding the territorial autonomy of indigenous peoples.
This paper positions these findings within broader theoretical frameworks of climate justice, highlighting how conservation pressures linked to climate change governance, alongside the challenges and opportunities of illicit extractive activities, place indigenous common defenders in an increasingly vulnerable situation. The paper argues that indigenous defense of the commons is not only about ecological preservation but also about resisting external forces that threaten both the environment and political sovereignty, ultimately jeopardizing the preservation of their way of life.
