Ecuador

Forest peoples’ knowledge and practices of the use and management of controlled fire in forests have been identified within climate change policies as the cause of forest fires. Nevertheless, fire is critical for ensuring the food and cultural sovereignty of forest peoples.

Fires in the Amazon are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity. But who is really burning the forests?

Since the native vegetation that surrounded Quito was destroyed to make way for eucalyptus and pine plantations, the forest fires that the city faces year after year have been intensifying.

Is it really possible to shift the dominant, colonial, Western paradigm—which sees nature and spaces as resources to be exploited, dominated and controlled—using a tool from a legal or judicial system that is intrinsically linked to thinking from the same paradigm?

Teak plantations in Ecuador are not intended for domestic consumption. All of the teak is exported. There are very few economic benefits for the areas where teak is produced, due to the small amount of labour it requires, producers' non-existent social investment, and the loss of food sovereignty and water scarcity that this industry causes.

How to make the sustainability of life the center of debate

Foto: Esteffany Bravo S.

We share below the letter sent by Acción Ecológica thanking all the support received from the international level. We emphasize that, even though Acción Ecológica is still open, the legislation that allowed two Ministries to ask for its closure it is still valid.

América Latina, 26 de diciembre de 2016 La Red Latinoamericana contra los Monocultivos de Árboles (RECOMA) expresa su apoyo y solidaridad con nuestra organización hermana Acción Ecológica (AE) ante la amenaza de clausura que recibiera el pasado 20 de diciembre de 2016 por parte del Ministerio del Ambiente y el Ministerio del Interior.

Letter to be sent to: Dr Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador rafael.correa@presidencia.gob.ec Ministro de Ambiente walter.garcia@ambiente.gob.ec, wgarcia@ambiente.gob.ec, Ministro Interior fuentesd@outlook.com C/C presidencia@accionecologica.org TO THE ECUADORIAN GOVERNMENT: AGAINST THE DOUBLE EXTRACTIVIST HUNTING December 21, 2016 Dr Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador,

Acción Ecológica denounces the request made by Diego Torres Saldaña, Deputy Minister of Internal Security, to the Minister of Environment to set in motion an administrative procedure that would dissolve our organization on the ground that we have deviated from the aims for which we were constituted.