The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, the most biodiverse place on Earth and a sanctuary for Indigenous Peoples, faces the looming threat of oil extraction that could devastate its delicate ecosystems. On August 20th the Ecuadorian people will vote on a groundbreaking consultation process to decide whether to keep exploiting oil or protect this crucial ecosystem and its cultural significance.
The Amazon Summit (8th and 9th of August) and the Amazon Dialogues (Diálogos Amazônicos) (4th to 6th of August) have sparked vital discussions about the preservation of the world’s largest rainforest and its immense ecological significance. However, it is crucial to emphasise that these discussions cannot be complete without the active involvement of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities who have historically been the most effective stewards of this invaluable ecosystem.
Indigenous Peoples have proven to be the best protectors of our world’s natural resources. But their lands and traditional ways of life are under attack by extractive corporations that prioritise profits over sustainability, posing a threat to biodiversity and the future of all.
The Global Alliance of Territorial Communities is excited to take centre stage at New York Climate Week, reaffirming how we indigenous peoples and local communities are the guardians of the Earth’s biodiversity and thus of humanity’s future.