OPAN’s indigenist teams work in several key areas, including land protection through surveillance programs, monitoring, and territorial management. Other efforts include strengthening Indigenous organizations, fostering political education, promoting socio-biodiversity product chains, ensuring food sovereignty, and advancing income generation and sustainable development.

Over the past 54 years, all the Indigenous peoples OPAN has worked with have had their lands demarcated, with self-demarcation experiences proving particularly significant. The organization has played a direct role in securing 13 million hectares of Indigenous lands in Amazonas, working in partnership with the Kulina, Kanamari, Katukina, Deni, Zuruaha, Kanamati/Jarawara, Apurinã, Marubo, Matis, Korubo, Mayoruna, Paumari, Jamamadi, Tenharim, and Parintintim peoples. In Mato Grosso, OPAN has helped defend three million hectares of Indigenous territories alongside the Paresi, Cinta Larga, Arara, Karajá, Kayabi, Enawene Nawe, Nambikwara, Manoki, Myky, and the Xavante of Marãiwatsédé.

Health programs have always been a priority for OPAN, which has worked with specialized teams to control epidemics, train Indigenous technicians, implement immunization programs, and promote the recognition of traditional knowledge and practices. For 12 years, OPAN maintained an agreement with FUNASA, providing high-quality Indigenous health services in the Brasnorte District in northern Mato Grosso.

In education, OPAN played a key role in organizing Indigenous education meetings in the 1980s, bringing together Indigenous teachers and councils that laid the foundation for the public policies in this sector that are now implemented by the Brazilian government.

More recently, OPAN has focused on developing and supporting economic alternatives, strengthening and promoting sustainable management practices in the Amazon Forest and Cerrado (tropical savanna). In addition to fostering economic sustainability, OPAN’s teams work alongside Indigenous communities to critically reflect on consumption patterns and build capacity for adopting management and production technologies.

In recognition of its work, OPAN has received several awards and honors. In 2001, OPAN was recognized by the Mato Grosso State Legislature for its advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples. In 2006, it was awarded the Chico Mendes Prize by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) in the non-governmental organization category for its contributions to the Brazilian Amazon and for expanding Indigenous participation in decision-making processes that impact their way of life. In 2015, the Paumari people’s sustainable pirarucu management initiative in the Tapauá River, Middle Purus, received the National Biodiversity Award, also granted by the Ministry of the Environment. The same initiative was certified as a social technology by the Banco do Brasil Foundation.