“

“The Voices of Amazon Women and a Visionary Declaration to Protect Indigenous Lands” November 18, 2018

…As we face the daunting reality of the climate crisis unraveling all around us, including the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which warns that we only have a dozen years remaining to radically change our current trajectory to prevent disastrous ecological and social harms, there is a shimmer of light and hope radiating out from the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon sparked by the Kichwa People of Sarayaku…

Sarayaku leaders launched their historic Kawsak Sacha or Living Forest Declaration in July this year during four days of public events, educational activities and ceremonies in the capital city Quito, Ecuador. The inauguration included a formal presentation to the Ecuadorian government and to international organizations and dignitaries…

Studies by the United Nations as well as many institutions have determined that the most effective way to protect forests and biodiversity, and thus help mitigate climate catastrophe, is by supporting Indigenous Peoples rights, lands and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.  And yet, no international designation for conservation currently exists that recognizes the unique relationship between Indigenous peoples and the forest.

The Living Forest Declaration represents many years of work and advocacy and proposes the protection of the Kichwa way of life, including emphasis on uncontaminated rivers, sovereign communities, and a mandate that their territory be permanently free of any type of extractive activity such as oil exploitation, mining, logging or biopiracy…