A group of people prepare to lead a march in Marte, Ecuador, demanding that Ecuadorian authorities participate in the discussion of a popular consultation held hace un año. This consultation could result in oil extraction in a region of the Amazon inhabited by indigenous peoples, including two groups in voluntary asylum.
Alicia Cahuiya, a Waorani village leader, said in an emotional speech to protesters that economists had voted for a year to “keep oil low and preserve the future of Yasuní.” She criticized the government for not honoring Ecuador’s commitment to the Amazon.
I also mentioned that a representative of his group was appointed to a commission to block oil activities in Yasuní National Park. During the protest, a Waorani doctor symbolically approached the feathers and skin of animals, while women sang in their native language in front of the Ministry of Energy.
In the popular consultation of August 20, 2023, 58.99% of voters opposed the extraction of resources in Yasuní. The Constitutional Court gave the government one year to withdraw the oil infrastructure in the area known as Yasuní ITT.
Over the past decade, approximately 57,000 barrels of crude oil have been extracted per day at Yasuní, generating approximately $1.2 billion annually for the state's oilfields, according to official data.
Los Tagaeri and Los Taromenane, two indigenous communities in voluntary asylum, live in the region and avoid contact with Western culture, moving freely through the forest. El Yasuní was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989.
Zenaida Yasacama, vice president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nations, stressed the importance of listening to the voices of nature defenders, saying that her fortune is not temporal, but a commitment of life.
Energy Minister Antonio Gonçalves announced plans to close the oil field and work with Petroecuador on an expansion and dismantling plan. However, if before this action you can go back between three and five years due to your complexity.
Ecuador is highly dependent on oil activity, which provides more than 30% of its ingredients. The protests and concerns of indigenous peoples highlight the delicate situation between environmental preservation and mining activity in the Yasuní region.
