On the 4th of January 2016, Leonardo Amador woke up to bulldozers uprooting the land surrounding his community in Choluteca, Honduras. He took a stand against deforestation to defend his land; to protect the forests, water and local wildlife. He and his neighbours came together and set up a resistance camp to repel the extractors. Undeterred, the company behind the project tried to sow division within the community by bribing local leaders. And election was held after the conflict that ensued, which saw Leonardo elected as President of the council. He has vowed to continue fighting deforestation by photovoltaic companies setting up solar farms in his and other communities in Honduras.
"As an older person, I have my family, children and grandchildren. I have to think about these new people who are growing up, what their life will be like. And this is what keeps us in the struggle despite the conflicts and humiliations we have suffered. We gain our strength from each other, united in the fight to continue this defence of our lands." Leonardo Amador
Leonardo Amador is part of the Documentary 'In Defence of Our Lands about land and environmental rights campaigners in Latin America.