Olivia Bisa Tirko

Olivia Bisa Tirko
Bornc.1985 (age 40–41)
Peru
Occupations
Years active2020–present
Known forEnvironmental activism in the Amazon rainforest
TitlePresident, Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation
Awards
  • Global Award for Environmental and Climate Justice (2025)
  • Courageous Scientists Award (2025)
Children2

Olivia Bisa Tirko (born c. 1985,[1] in Peru) is an Indigenous Peruvian environmental activist who is known for her campaigns against oil exploitation in the Amazon rainforest.[2][3] In 2020, she became the first female president of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation (GTANCH), located in the province of Datem del Marañón in the Department of Loreto, Peru.[4][5] In 2025, in recognition of her defense of her territory against oil activity, Tirko won the Global Award for Environmental and Climate Justice for Latin America, awarded by the Forum Eco-Social Transformations.[2][6]

Environmental activism

In September 2022, an oil spill occurred at the 177-kilometre (110 mi) mark on the North Peruvian Pipeline, operated by Petroperú. The oil spill and subsequent slicks contaminated rivers, impacting fishing and food sources for Chapra communities.[2][7][8] Bisa Tirko demanded that the state and oil companies remedy the environmental damage and questioned the hiring of remediation companies due to their alleged history of non-compliance in the management of toxic waste.[9] In November 2025, she attended COP 2025 to represent her Amazonian territory and its environmental demands.

Reports of threats

Since taking office as Chapra Nation territory president, the defender denounced the growing presence of drug traffickers, illegal loggers, and pollution caused by oil spills. Bisa Tirko received multiple threats and was included on national lists of indigenous defenders at high risk.[10][11][12]

In 2022, following the Petroperú oil spill, in the Provincial Criminal Prosecutor's Office of Datem del Marañón – San Lorenzo, Petroperú filed four criminal complaints against Bisa Tirko for the alleged crimes of concealment, kidnapping, and endangering public safety; that were all dismissed in March 2023.[5][13] Bisa Tirko reported that she was the victim of threats, harassment, and psychological violence against her and her children, including via telephone calls and strangers visiting her home.[5][14][7]

In 2024, Mary Lawlord, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, warned that Bisa Tirko was at high right and she left her community on several occasions.[10]

Recognition

In 2025, Bisa Tirko received the Global Award for Environmental and Climate Justice for her activism against oil exploitation in the Amazon. Awarded by the Vienna-based Forum Eco-Social Transformations, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of environmental activism where conservation is at permanent risk, Bisa Tirko won the awarded following a global selection process involving 22 candidates.[10][15] In the same year, she was one of five people awarded the Courageous Scientists Award.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Olivia Bisa Tirko". Los 100 Latinos 2024. sachamama.org. 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2026. … the first woman to serve as president of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation at just thirty-five years old.
  2. ^ a b c SPDA, webmaster (November 26, 2025). "Loreto: lideresa indígena gana Premio Global 2025 a la Justicia Ambiental y Climática para Latinoamérica". Actualidad Ambiental (in Spanish). Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  3. ^ https://www.flora.org.pe/wp-content/uploads/post/Espanol-_-Sentencia-.pdf
  4. ^ ZAP (March 8, 2025). "Mujeres indígenas en primera línea: la lucha de Olivia Bisa Tirko por la tierra y la cultura | Amazon Watch". Amazon Watch. Archived from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Dussart, Jade (July 23, 2024). "Perú: amenazas contra la defensora indígena Olivia Bisa Tirko (comunicación conjunta)". U.N. Special Rapporteur Human Rights Defenders. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  6. ^ https://cooperaccion.org.pe/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/La_sombra_de_los_hidrocarburos-2024.pdf
  7. ^ a b Gabay, Aimee (August 15, 2024). "Petroperú's financial troubles could mean no oil spill remediation, communities fear". Mongabay. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  8. ^ "Lideresa chapra obtiene Premio Global 2025". Servindi - Servicios de Comunicación Intercultural (in Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  9. ^ Lorena (February 29, 2024). "Olivia Bisa, defensora indígena es amenazada de muerte por sus labores de protección a la naturaleza – Olivia Bisa, defensora indígena es amenazada de muerte por sus labores de protección a la naturaleza". Cuencas Sagradas (in European Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c "Exigen protección para Olivia Bisa y defensores/as". Servindi - Servicios de Comunicación Intercultural (in Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  11. ^ Mandujano, Edgar (August 27, 2024). "Olivia Bisa: Lideresa de la Nación Chapra continúa recibiendo amenazas de muerte - Caretas Medio ambiente". Caretas (in Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  12. ^ yvette (December 21, 2025). ""Si quieres vivir, aprende a mantener el pico cerrado. Si quieres morir pronto, ábrelo": la muerte acecha a Olivia Bisa, lideresa indígena de la Nación Chapra". Noticias ambientales (in Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  13. ^ en, Por Daniela Valdivia BlumeSeguir (March 24, 2024). "La lideresa indígena Olivia Bisa teme por su vida debido a amenazas de muerte: "No puedo salir a la calle"". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  14. ^ en, Por Daniela Valdivia BlumeSeguir (March 13, 2024). "Lideresa indígena Olivia Bisa amenazada de muerte: recibe ataques por protestar contra la contaminación petrolera". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  15. ^ en, Por Tomás EzerskiiSeguir (November 30, 2025). "Lideresa indígena Olivia Bisa gana Premio Global 2025 por enfrentar la contaminación petrolera en la Amazonía peruana". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  16. ^ "Winners: Olivia Bisa Tirko – South America, Chapra Nation, Peru". Courageous Scientists Award. Forum ökosoziale Transformationen. November 15, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2026.

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