The population in Ecuador’s Amazon region is over 70 percent indigenous. And, like in all of the eight countries that make up the massive basin, these traditional communities have come under persistent threat from private business interests and loosened legal protections.
However, while the situation may be bleak elsewhere, Ecuador’s indigenous people have already managed two massive victories this year. In February, the country’s constitutional court handed down a historic ruling giving these traditionally marginalized groups more agency over their land, making it mandatory for indigenous communities to be consulted before mining or other extractivist projects can be set...
