As the fate of the Amazon basin hangs in the balance, so too does the fate of its Indigenous communities. Since 2014, at least 600 Indigenous forest guardians have been murdered while protecting their territories. Indigenous activist Puyr Tembé and land guardian Marçal Guajajara are fighting back: against the mining industry and the thousands of illegal invaders who have cut down centuries-old trees for export and who have exploited rare resources. The stolen goods end up abroad, with Western markets profiting massively from Brazil’s most significant environmental crimes. But the wisdom of Indigenous cultures reminds us that we can – and must – all become guardians. For without the Amazon, we will lose our global climate.