Alianza Arkana Blog | "We are still drinking contaminated water every day... We think that with the declaration of emergency the government will be forced to worry about us and can solve our problem sooner."
Kichwa
Peru Declares Environmental State of Emergency in Its Rainforest
Government reports high levels of barium, lead, chrome and petroleum-related compounds
The Guardian | Lima, Peru – Peru has declared an environmental state of emergency in a remote part of its northern Amazon rainforest, home for decades to one of the country's biggest oil fields, currently operated by the Argentinian company Pluspetrol. Achuar and Kichwa indigenous people living in the Pastaza river basin near Peru's border with Ecuador...
Peru Declares Amazon Oil Contamination Emergency
Associated Press | Lima, Peru – Peru's government declared an environmental state of emergency on Monday in a remote Amazon jungle region it says has been affected by years of contamination at the country's most productive oil fields, which are currently operated by Argentina-based Pluspetrol.
A Tough Sell Indeed
A new report from Analytica Investments warns that the XI Oil Round in Ecuador would threaten "a biodiversity every bit as varied as that of the fabled Yasuní National Park to the North" where one hectare holds more tree species than exist in all of North America.
The 11th Round Oil Auction in Ecuador: A Tough Sell
Analytica Investments Weekly Report | The government and indigenous organizations led by Amazon confederation CONFENIAE continue at loggerheads over the southeast, with the latter bent on derailing the oil round.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Mounting Pressures on Yasuní Lead to Violent Attack in the Amazon
Quito, Ecuador – Amazon Watch reports that based on a statement from the Waorani Nationality Organization of Orellena Province on March 6 two Waorani adults were attacked and killed by members of the Taromenane, one of two Waorani clans that continue to live in voluntary isolation.
XI Round Campaign Launches in Ecuador
La Amazonia que nos Queda
So much attention has focused on the protection of Yasuní National Park, and yet meanwhile an area of unspoiled and highly biodiverse rainforest many times larger is greatly threatened by the XI Oil Round.
Activists Confront Ecuadorian Government for Auctioning the Amazon
Dozens of protestors publicly denounce government in Paris over oil concessions
Paris, France – Dozens of activists protested against the Ecuadorian government during its XI Round oil concession promotional activities in Paris today, where officials met with European investors and oil company executives seeking to auction off an enormous swath of pristine Amazon rainforest.
Brazilian President Stumbles on Energy
IPS | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, whose political career was fuelled by her stellar performance in the energy sector, is now faced with an ironic challenge: how to bring down the unusually high price of electricity predominantly generated by hydropower – the cheapest source – in this South American...
Risk Assessment: Ecuador's XI Oil Tender
This assessment is an overview of legacy issues and current economic, legal, social, and environmental risk factors faced by companies interested in submitting bids for Ecuador's Ronda Sur Oriente oil lease auction.
Power-Hungry Brazil Builds Dams and More Dams, Across the Amazon
Washington Post | Across Brazil, rivers are being diverted. Canals and dikes are being built. Roads are being paved, and blocks of concrete are being laid across a network of waterways that provides a fifth of the world's fresh water. And the big dams will inundate at least 2,500 square miles of forests and fields – an area larger than the state of Delaware...
Ecuadorian Indigenous Leaders & Allies Confront Government Over Oil Auction
Amazonian leaders and international allies unite in Houston at NAPE
Houston, TX – Indigenous leaders from the Ecuadorian Amazon have challenged the Ecuadorian government face-to-face during its XI Round oil concession promotional activities around the North America Prospect Expo (NAPE), the oil prospecting industry's semi-annual trade show where government officials scheduled meetings with oil company...
Brazil Drought Stokes Worries Over Energy Shortages
BBC | Indigenous Amazon communities say these dams change river flows and so threaten their way of life, while some experts have questioned how much dams affected by long periods of low rainfall can really add to Brazil's power grid.
Ecuadorean Tribe Will "Die Fighting" to Defend Rainforest
Kichwa villagers from Sani Isla vow to resist oil prospecting by state-backed company Petroamazonas at all costs
The Guardian | In what looks set to be one of the most one-sided struggles in the history of Amazon forest conservation, an indigenous community of about 400 villagers is preparing to resist the Ecuadorean army and one of the biggest oil companies in South America.
Investor's Eye on the Amazon
First, some good news! Thanks in no small part to shareholder advocacy efforts, Talisman Energy and ConocoPhillips announced plans this fall to withdraw from key oil blocks in the Peruvian Amazon. And in the historic Chevron lawsuit, the Ecuadorian plaintiffs have launched a global enforcement strategy, which is already making strides in Argentina...
Ecuador's Oil Minister Explains New Oil Round Amid Indigenous Protest
Platts | Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador's oil minister Wilson Pastor Wednesday presented terms for an international licensing round for new blocks in the country's southeast amid protests by indigenous groups seeking to protect the area of the Amazon basin, which is still 85% covered by rainforest
Ecuador to Launch Oil Block Auction Amid Protests
Indigenous people say jungle at risk, oppose exploration
Reuters | Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador will launch a licensing round on Wednesday for 13 oil blocks in unspoiled Amazon areas despite opposition from indigenous groups that fear damage to their ancestral lands.
Indigenous Protests Grow as Ecuador Auctions Amazon Oil Blocks
Hundreds contest "XI Round" oil licensing
Quito, Ecuador – Hundreds of indigenous people gathered in Quito today at the VII Annual Meeting of Oil and Energy where the Ecuadorian government announced the opening of the XI Round, an oil auction covering nearly eight million acres of rainforest in the Amazon.
Ecuador's Indigenous Leaders Oppose New Oil Exploration Plans in Amazon Region
Country set to open 11th licensing round of oil exploration in 10 million acres of pristine, undeveloped rainforest
Earth Island Journal | According to Amazon Watch, the 11th round will affect up to 10 million acres of primary forest that encompass the ancestral territories of the Indigenous Andoa, Achuar, Kichwa, Sapara, Shiwiar, Shuar, and Waorani nations. Ecuador's largest Indigenous organizations, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorean Amazon...
Photos from Our 2012 Annual Luncheon
Our honored guests this year were Kichwa leaders from the Sarayaku community in Ecuador, who made world news headlines recently by winning their case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Ecuador Indigenous Group Plans Demonstrations Against Oil Licensing Round
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador's Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities, or Conaie, said Wednesday it is planning demonstrations against the planned 11th licensing round for oil exploration in the country's southeast.
Indigenous Leaders from Ecuadorian Amazon Honored in Bay Area
Join Us for a Historic Week of Public Events with Amazonian Indigenous Leaders from Sarayaku, Ecuador
We are honored and excited to invite you to a series of events featuring leaders from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, who have come to share news of their victory for indigenous self-determination against destructive development.
A Kichwa Victory Against Big Oil and Government in New Documentary
Indian Country Today | The Kichwa people of Sarayaku won two major victories this year: in April, for the first time in their history, the government acknowledged responsibility for illegally licensing an oil company to do business on indigenous territory without the community's consent; and in July the ICHR ruled that the government must consult with indigenous...
Indigenous Leaders from Ecuadorian Amazon Honored in Bay Area
Series of public events highlight historic Sarayaku community legal victory
San Francisco, CA – Kichwa indigenous leaders from the Sarayaku community in the Ecuadorian Amazon will be in the Bay Area for a series of events from October 14-21.
Sarayaku Indigenous People and Amnesty International Win Film Award
Amnesty International | "We weren't expecting this award – it came as a surprise. Being chosen from among hundreds of films is a great honour," said Sarayaku filmmaker Eriberto Gualinga, who received the award on behalf of his community in Washington DC.
Sarayaku Celebrates Human Rights Victory
On the heels of their victory before the Inter-American Human Rights Court of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Kichwa of Sarayaku held a major celebration over the weekend on their rainforest lands.
Historic Day of Celebration in Sarayaku about the IACHR Sentence
We, as the legitimate authorities and governors of our territories, reaffirm the full exercise of our constitutional collective rights that guarantee the continuity of our identity and the territorial life spaces of the Selva Viviente (Living Jungle).
Governments Prioritize Profit Over Indigenous Peoples' Rights
Amnesty International | Governments across the Americas are putting profit before the physical and cultural survival of thousands of Indigenous peoples, said Amnesty International in a briefing paper published ahead of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples.
Sarayaku to Their Allies: "Thank You"
Amazon Watch has been proud to accompany the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku. In the wake of the historic sentence coming forth from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, our colleagues in Sarayaku issued the following expression of appreciation for all the solidarity they have felt over the years.
