Ecuador has spoken. In a powerful national vote on November 16, the public rejected President Daniel Noboa’s plans to weaken the Constitution, remove key protections for Indigenous Peoples and the Rights of Nature, and open the door to foreign military bases.
This vote was more than a rejection of four ballot questions. It was a clear stand for democracy, for the Amazon, and for the rights of the Indigenous nations who defend it, all protected by one of the most progressive constitutions in the world.
For Amazon Watch and our partners, this is a major victory for the movements working to End Amazon Crude, protect Yasuní National Park, and stop the government from launching a massive new oil round that would auction off up to fourteen oil blocks in the most intact forests of the southeastern Ecuadorian Amazon.
The referendum result cuts directly across these plans. Ecuadorians chose a future that protects the Amazon instead of sacrificing it. They chose to uphold the Constitution instead of allowing the government to rewrite it to benefit extractive industries. And they chose to defend Indigenous rights, which Noboa actively threatened.
This vote also came during one of the most dangerous periods for the Amazon in decades. President Noboa had taken steps to expand fossil fuel extraction across vast areas of Indigenous territory and pushed policy changes to weaken Free, Prior, and Informed Consent and roll back the Rights of Nature. These rights, protected in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, are among the strongest in the world.
At the same time, Noboa is still trying to revive the Southern Oil Round, which would open 2.3 million hectares of rainforest to new drilling, place seven Indigenous nations at risk, and violate national and international consent standards. Drilling Toward Disaster warns that this region faces high environmental, legal, and financial risks, including aging pipelines, spill prone infrastructure, and long term contamination.
This outcome brings new momentum to the End Amazon Crude campaign and strengthens efforts to stop Noboa’s plans to auction oil blocks in the southern Amazon. Ecuador remains the largest onshore producer of Amazon crude, and California is one of the top buyers. For years, Indigenous nations in the region, including the Sápara, Shiwiar, Achuar, Shuar, Waorani, Kichwa, and Andoa, have resisted new oil operations and consistently said no to attempts to auction their territories for drilling.
The vote also helps defend the historic 2023 Yasuní referendum, when Ecuador made global headlines by voting to leave oil permanently in the ground inside Yasuní National Park. That decision protected one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and affirmed Indigenous rights on a global stage – a critical message to send the world while the UN climate conference COP30 is taking place in the Brazilian Amazon.
Noboa has resisted implementation of the Yasuní mandate and tried to undermine it with new oil plans. Ecuadorians pushed back. By rejecting constitutional reforms and militarized policies that would deepen extraction, they strengthened the public mandate to fully shut down production in Yasuní and restore the damaged areas.
This public defense of Yasuní is a major gain for global climate action. It reinforces a simple truth. Keeping oil in the ground is possible and necessary, especially in places as critical as the Amazon.
The referendum was also a strong endorsement of Ecuador’s groundbreaking Rights of Nature. These rights give ecosystems legal standing to exist, regenerate, and be protected. They have helped communities stop destructive mining and drilling projects in recent years.
This victory belongs to the people of Ecuador. It is a reminder that democratic power still matters, even in times of crisis. But it is also a beginning, not an end.
Ecuador now needs full accountability for human rights abuses, proper implementation of the Yasuní referendum, and a permanent halt to new oil rounds in the southeastern Amazon. The world must support Ecuador in choosing a path that centers Indigenous Peoples, protects the Rights of Nature, and accelerates a real transition toward a climate safe future.
Ecuador chose life. Ecuador chose rights. Ecuador chose the Amazon.
And that gives all of us hope.
