mitch anderson

Mitch Anderson

Executive Director

Amazon Frontlines

Amazon Frontlines

Nominated by Karl Burkart

As executive director of Amazon Frontlines, a non-profit organization he founded in 2015, Mitch Anderson oversees efforts to advance and defend indigenous peoples’ rights to land, life and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest. Mitch also serves as executive director of the ClearWater project, an initiative providing access to clean water for indigenous villages affected by oil contamination in the Upper Amazon. Mitch has 15 years of experience supporting indigenous environmental justice struggles across Central and South America. He spearheaded international environmental campaigns against US oil giants, such as Chevron and Occidental Petroleum. The ClearWater project he founded has installed more than 1,000 rainwater harvesting systems in over 70 villages affected by oil contamination in the Upper Amazon. He has extensive experience supporting indigenous peoples in territorial defense efforts, including mapping initiatives, environmental monitoring, land patrols, legal trainings and direct action. His passions are writing, photography, treks in the woods and learning about the rainforest through the eyes of his three-year-old daughter.