COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) was founded in Lima in 1984 and is based in Quito. It represents the Indigenous federations of nine Amazonian nations in international governance processes. COICA has been central to establishing that Indigenous territorial rights are the most effective mechanism for Amazon conservation — a scientific and political argument the organisation has pressed for four decades. It advocates for free, prior and informed consent; legal recognition of ancestral territories; and protection of peoples living in voluntary isolation. As the Amazon approaches ecological tipping points, COICA's governance model becomes increasingly urgent.

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