This past Sunday the people of Ecuador voted on a constitutional referendum that resulted in a historic victory for Indigenous Peoples living in their country. Of the seven questions posed to voters, two had significant outcomes for conservation and Indigenous rights: a 50,000 hectare expansion of the Yasuni National Park (an officially protected zone which is home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane peoples, two of the world’s remaining peoples living in voluntary isolation) along with a strict prohibition on mining within the park’s borders.
In the months leading up to the vote, Land is Life, along with allies Yasunidos, Accion Ecologica, and a group of leading Ecuadorian anthropologists completed a national campaign to promote a “yes vote” on the two relevant questions. A social media and national television campaign along with a public mural that represents the faces of Indigenous women (the largest in Ecuador) contributed to the campaign’s success.
Land is Life acknowledges that the real work begins now. We are currently in the process of completing a formal report on the exact areas where people living in voluntary isolation reside and will present it to the government in order to ensure that the best decisions are made on how to expand the protected zone. We continue to hold dialogues with key government agencies to maintain this momentum and see the spirit of the referendum is not compromised.
Land is Life is hopeful that this will set a new precedent for the ways in which national governments protect the land and rights of Indigenous Peoples and that it will create a resonating effect throughout Latin America and the world.