Ecuadorian court grants Siekopai ancestral land rights in historic ruling
The Ecuadorian court system returned ownership of 42,360 hectares of ancient land, Pë'këya, to the Siekopai people in a landmark ruling, marking a momentous step in the tribe's journey back to their roots. The November 24 verdict represents a significant move, recognizing the tribe's right to Read More...
Ecuadorians take a stand and vote to save the heart of the Amazon from oil drilling
Ecuadorians made history by voting to prohibit the development of new oil wells in the Yasuní national park, in a resounding display of environmental consciousness and civic engagement. This amazing verdict not only protects one of the world's most biodiverse places but also establishes a global Read More...
Neon-orange wildflower rediscovered in Ecuador after presumed extinct
Over 97 percent of forests in the western half of Ecuador have been turned into farmland over the last decades. This extensive deforestation led to the extinction of multiple species of flora, leading conservationists to think that those plants are gone for good. A recent expedition, however, has Read More...
Ecuador grants wild animals legal rights in a world first
In a landmark ruling, Ecuador has become the first country in the world to grant legal rights to individual wild animals. Back in 2008, the country became the first in the world to recognize nature, or Pachamama, as a deserving right-bearing entity. However, while that law was enshrined in the Read More...
Ecuador's high court rules in favor of nature, saving Los Cedros cloud forest
Earlier this month, Ecuador’s highest court passed a landmark ruling in favor of the protected cloud forest in the northwest of the country, Los Cedros. Enami EP, Ecuador’s national mining company, held rights for mining concessions that involved areas in two-thirds of the reserve, however, Read More...
4 Latin American countries join forces to form huge marine reserve
Four Latin American countries have agreed to merge their marine reserves to form one mega-reserve that will protect one of the world’s richest regions of ocean biodiversity. The pacific-facing countries of Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica announced the creation of the Eastern Tropical Read More...
This mobile device provides refuge to unsheltered people in Ecuador
Earlier this year, we wrote about a thoughtful initiative in the German city of Ulm that saw the installation of a series of pods around the town for unsheltered people to be able to sleep in. A similar project is now taking place in Ecuador, where architecture firm Natura Futura Arquitectura Read More...
Indigenous leader from Ecuador saves 500,000 acres from oil extraction
Dating back to 1989, the Goldman Environmental Prize is an annual award recognizing grassroots activism across six geographical regions around the globe. Among this year’s prize winners is Nemonte Nequimo, an indigenous leader from the Ecuadorean Amazon who last year made headlines for her Read More...
Ecuador to break tree-planting record this Saturday
Ecuador’s latest public campaign aims for results in the ground. Over 350,000 tree seeds will be sowed Saturday by some 35,000 Ecuadoreans, breaking a Guinness World Record. It is about government’s commitment to—and citizens’ positive action for—the environment, said the Environment Read More...
Eco-adventures put you in nature with native tour guides
Forget the package tour. Eco-adventures get you up close and personal with stunning landscapes and amazing people. Andrew Tolve | April 2009 issue I’m standing up to my knees in water on the side of an overgrown mountain in the rural north of Ecuador. My guide, an indigenous woman named Maria Read More...