April 25, 2019

Tell the Ecuadorian gov’t to end oil drilling in the Amazon

tags:	#Amazon oil drilling, #Ecuador, #indigenous people, #conservation
located:	Ecuador
by:	Yair Oded

The Amazon forest is under attack.

With leaders such as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and oil corporations combining their resources and might to raze forests and maximize profits—the Amazon and its indigenous dwellers are facing mounting threats. This tragedy does not only affect local populations in South and Central America, however, as the destruction of this natural treasure will bear devastating consequences on us all—wherever we are on the planet.

In Ecuador, the government authorized oil drilling in a territory of the Ecuadorian Amazon inhabited by the Waorani indigenous tribe, without their explicit consent. Members of the Waorani tribe then united and filed a lawsuit against the government for what they claim is an illicit encroachment into their territory.

While their case makes its way through the court system, members of the tribe formed the “Waorani Resistance” in collaboration with the Ceibo Alliance, an Ecuadorian indigenous non-profit, and the international organization Amazon Frontlines.

The Waorani Resistance launched an online campaign which details the reasons behind the tribe’s objection to the drilling, the negative effects such actions will bear on the environment, as well as circulated a petition that calls on the government to halt the drilling and protect the Amazon. Thus far, the petition collected over 73,000 signatures.

The Waorani may be those fighting on the frontline, but this battle concerns every human being in the world. As stated by the Resistance members on their website, “Although we live in the Amazon and many of you who read this live far away - together, we can achieve great things for the protection of our forests and our cultures, and the planet we all share.”

Please sign the petition and support the fight to preserve the Amazon.

Image credit: Crustmania via Flickr