The Guardian | Kevin Koenig, Ecuador programme director of Amazon Watch, said: "It is extremely troubling to see these kinds of irregularities so soon into the verification process. It calls into question whether the CNE can indeed be objective and non-partisan. The eyes of the world are watching – this is a critical moment for Ecuador's democracy and the...
Yasuni
Ecuadorian Military Breaks Yasunidos Blockade
Yasunidos Defends Signatures and Denounces Electoral Irregularities
Quito, Ecuador – Just five days after turning in more than enough signatures to qualify for a national referendum to stop oil drilling plans in a critical part of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, Yasunidos, the civil society collective spearheading the grassroots effort is denouncing what appear to be egregious irregularities by the National...
Major Victory in Effort to Limit Oil Drilling in Ecuadorian Amazon
Supporters gather 750,000+ signatures to qualify for referendum to defend Yasuní National Park
Quito, Ecuador – Despite tremendous odds, supporters of a pioneering effort to keep Ecuador's largest oil reserve permanently in the ground have gathered more than enough signatures to qualify for a national vote on the issue in a special election.
We Did It! ¡Todos Somos Yasunidos!
On April 12th, something incredibly inspiring happened in Ecuador. Yasunidos, a civil society collective of environmentalists, artists, activists, and indigenous leaders, delivered nearly 800,000 signatures calling for a national referendum on oil drilling in Yasuní National Park.
Environmentalists Have Signatures for Referendum on Ecuador Oil Development
Experts Say Move Could Set Precedent for Future Disputes Between Environmentalists, Government and Industry
Wall Street Journal | A coalition opposed to a new oil development in a national park in Ecuador's Amazon rain forest say they have collected enough signatures to force a referendum on the activity, which experts say could set a precedent for future disputes between environmentalists, the government and industry.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Ecuador Faces Vote on Yasuni Park Oil Drilling in Amazon
"With these signatures we are certain that the popular consultation vote will go ahead," said Carla Espin of Yasunidos.
BBC News | Environmentalists in Ecuador say they have collected enough signatures to have a referendum on whether the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon should be opened to further oil exploration. They said 727,947 people had signed their petition to have a vote - more than required by Ecuadorian law.
¡Yasuní Depende de Ti!
Celebrities rise in solidarity with Ecuadorians to defend the Amazon
“The future is in your hands,” said Oscar award winning actor Jared Leto, urging Ecuadorian voters to sign for an oil-free Yasuní. Watch a new video released today featuring celebrity supporters in solidarity with Ecuadorians to defend Yasuní National Park from oil drilling.
New Celebrity PSA Urges Ecuadorians to Defend the Amazon
A global call to keep oil in the ground in Yasuni National Park
Los Angeles, CA – Amazon Watch and Yasunidos, a campaign comprised of a collective of Ecuadorian and international environmental organizations and advocates, released a new PSA featuring celebrity supporters rising in solidarity with Ecuadorians to defend the controversial Yasuní National Park from oil drilling.
China's Presence Grows in Ecuador
New report analyzes threats to Ecuador’s sovereignty and rainforest
Oakland, California – A new report released today highlights China's growing influence in Ecuador and what it means for Ecuador's sovereignty, indigenous peoples and the fate of the Amazon rainforest.
Beijing, Banks and Barrels: China and Oil in the Ecuadorian Amazon
China's economy and its global influence are growing at a rapid rate. Nowhere is that growing influence clearer than in Ecuador, a country that Beijing has lent nearly $9 billion and has promised $7 billion more in financing.
Coalition Opposing Ecuador Oil Block Development Seeks Referendum
Over 500,000 Signatures Collected to Request National Referendum
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – A coalition opposing the development of Ecuador's sensitive Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini oil block has collected more than 500,000 signatures to request the government's electoral agency hold a national referendum to decide on the future of the oil. Opponents of the development need to collect about 600,000 signatures before...
Amazonas: Guardians of Life
"We are struggling for Yasuni because it is our home. Correa wouldn't like it if oil companies went to his home and tore it down like they come and cut trees and build roads in our rainforest homes," said Alicia Cahuilla, a courageous Waorani warrior from the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Ecuador's Development Dilemma: Will Oil Win Out?
Ecuador's President Correa is resisting calls to reconsider a scrapped initiative to leave Amazon crude oil untouched.
The Christian Science Monitor | In Ecuador, his move has drawn the ire of environmental and indigenous rights groups and sparked a debate over an otherwise extremely popular administration. One organization, Yasunidos, is trying to collect 600,000 signatures by April to force a national referendum on whether to allow drilling.
"We're on the Cusp of a New Oil Boom in the Ecuadorian Amazon"
Since announcing plans to drill for oil under Yasuni, Ecuador has vowed the national park will be left "99.9% intact". But this promise is not being reflected on the ground.
The Guardian | At the end of last year, Ecuador put 16 oil blocks in the Amazon jungle region to the south of Yasuni up for auction in an effort to drum up new joint-venture partners. "We're on the cusp of a new oil boom in the Ecuadorian Amazon the like of which we have never seen before," says Kevin Koenig, programme co-ordinator, at campaign group Amazon...
Ecuador Pursued China Oil Deal While Pledging to Protect Yasuni
Negotiations took place while the country sought funds to forgo oil exploitation in pristine forest under the Yasuni-ITT scheme
The Guardian | The proposed behind-the-scenes deal, which traded drilling access in exchange for Chinese lending for Ecuadorian government projects, will dismay green and human rights groups who had praised Ecuador for its pioneering Yasuni-ITT Initiative to protect the forest. Yasuni is one of the most biodiverse places in the world and home to indigenous...
In Ecuador, Oil Boom Creates Tension
The Washington Post | An unprecedented drilling push by Ecuador's government has brought new tensions to Yawepare and the country's Amazon lowlands. As the chain saws and bulldozers cut deeper into the forest, critics say the government is triggering brutal warfare between the Waorani and a smaller, breakaway tribe living in "voluntary isolation" beyond the oil...
First International Tribunal on Rights of Nature
Inaugural session in Ecuador admits nine cases
Quito, Ecuador – Before an audience of 400 people, the world's first Ethics Tribunal on the Rights of Nature and Mother Earth held its inaugural session in Quito, Ecuador, the first country to recognize the Rights of Nature in its constitution. The Tribunal will be a permanent platform for hearing and judging cases from around the world.
Activists Ask Ecuador Not to Drill at Oil Block
Part of ITT block located within country's largest nature reserve
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – Environmental activists called on Ecuador's President Rafael Correa to abandon plans to develop the Ishpingo-Tambocoha-Tiputini oil block. A portion of the ITT oil block, as it is known, is located within Yasuni National Park, the country's largest nature reserve and considered one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
Rights Versus Resources in the Amazon
Until the demand for extreme crude decreases, the conflict between rights and resources will continue, at the expense of indigenous peoples, the forest and our planet.
Ecuador Cracks Down on Indigenous Leaders Opposed to Oil
After attacking some of their closest allies, the Ecuadorian government is now attempting to take down Ecuador's indigenous leaders who are committed to defending their territory from any oil development plans.
Indigenous Amazonía
On the front lines in the race to avoid ecosystem collapse
We know indigenous peoples are important stewards of the environment. But specifically how do they protect their territory? Watch a presentation by Amazon Watch's Andrew Miller on specific struggles in Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Over 100 International Organizations Standing in Solidarity with Fundación Pachamama
On International Human Rights Day, the call for immediate reversal is echoed globally
Fundación Pachamama | Last week's dissolution by the Ecuadorian government of the NGO, Fundación Pachamama, has resulted in an outcry of international support from organizations around the world, calling for the immediate reversal of what they agree was an illegal act to repress civil liberties.
Opponents of Ecuador Oil Plan Advance Toward Referendum
Coalition trying to stop development of oil fields, some inside Unesco-recognized park
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – A coalition of citizen groups and nongovernment organizations opposed to the development of the ITT oil block said it has collected about half the signatures needed to request a national referendum that could block the drilling. Amazon basin.
Amazon Watch Statement of Support for Fundación Pachamama Ecuador
Amazon Watch deplores the arbitrary shut down of our ally organization Fundación Pachamama, a non-governmental organization dedicated to human rights and the rights of nature. We respectfully call on President Correa and the Ecuadorian authorities to respect human rights, reinstate Fundación Pachamama, and end the crackdown on democracy and open...
Ecuadorian Government Responds with Crackdown Following 11th Round Failure
International solidarity needed!
President Correa has cracked down on indigenous leaders, organizations and NGOs, including Fundación Pachamama whose offices were shut down yesterday.
Ecuador Shuts Down Nonprofit Environmental Group
Associated Press | "We consider it an act of violence," foundation director Belen Paez said. "That is not how one notifies a legally constituted organization that it is being shut down."
Fundación Pachamama Statement on Shutdown
Fundación Pachamama | We will not allow this aggression of which we have been victim to divert attention and debate away from the underlying issue. This is a violation of the collective rights of indigenous Amazonian peoples and the rights of nature, for an oil round that is against the will of the rightful owners of the affected territories.
Ecuador Shuts Down Environmental NGO
Government accuses group of involvement in protests against an oil license round
Wall Street Journal | "We are peaceful," said Joke Baert, a Pachamama spokeswoman. "We defend human rights and we have never promoted or supported violence. The government should carry out a deep investigation."
Protests Grow as Ecuador's Amazon Oil Auction Closes
Indigenous leaders and allies mobilize in Quito to contest final 11th Round bids
Quito, Ecuador – Protesters gathered outside the Oil and Energy Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Quito yesterday where meetings took place in a final push by the Ecuadorian government to auction off 13 oil blocks that are part of the 11th Round of oil-licensing covering over six million acres of rainforest in the Amazon.
