QUITO, ECUADOR – Ecuador’s oil palm industry has taken what many see as another step forward by committing to a jurisdictional RSPO system as a way to transform the entire sector by making it cleaner and more sustainable. But some wonder if a commitment to RSPO is enough, considering the industry’s questionable reputation in some partsContinueContinue reading “Can Ecuador do palm oil right? Jurisdictional RSPO commitment stirs hope (Mongabay)”
Tag Archives: Ecuador
Community vs. company: A tiny town in Ecuador battles a palm oil giant (Mongabay)
WIMBI, ECUADOR – When Yessenia Padilla heard that her community crops were being destroyed, she and about 70 of her neighbors rushed out to intervene. They grabbed large boards, rocks, the machetes they use to harvest their fields, and took off yelling. She said that when they arrived, they saw workers from the oil palmContinueContinue reading “Community vs. company: A tiny town in Ecuador battles a palm oil giant (Mongabay)”
‘I can’t get out’: Farmers feel the pressure as Ecuador’s palm oil sector grows (Mongabay)
LA CONCORDIA, ECUADOR – Jorge Jurado has been farming oil palm on Ecuador’s coast for almost 20 years, and has seen the industry go through many changes. But over the last few years, he and hundreds of other small-scale farmers have been hit by two major plagues: abnormally low market prices for palm oil overContinueContinue reading “‘I can’t get out’: Farmers feel the pressure as Ecuador’s palm oil sector grows (Mongabay)”
When the “Cure” for Homosexuality Is Torture (In These Times)
QUITO, ECUADOR – When Donato Sanchez, a transgender man, walked into a “gay rehab” clinic for the first time, he didn’t know he was going to stay. His father had convinced him to “check out the facilities,” nothing more. Sanchez had been told that if he chose to enter the clinic, it would “be ofContinueContinue reading “When the “Cure” for Homosexuality Is Torture (In These Times)”
Ecuador’s indigenous Waorani launch petition to save the Amazon (Al Jazeera)
NEMONPARE, ECUADOR – The Amazon rainforest is not an oil block and it is not for sale, says Ecuador’s Waorani community in a new petition. The indigenous community has been living in and fighting for their jungle territory for thousands of years, but they could soon see the entire region auctioned off to the highestContinueContinue reading “Ecuador’s indigenous Waorani launch petition to save the Amazon (Al Jazeera)”
Three journalists are kidnapped in Ecuador, signaling the violence spilling over from Colombia (The Washington Post)
QUITO, ECUADOR — Every night since March 26, when three Ecuadoran journalists were kidnapped near their country’s border with Colombia, their colleagues have gathered to demand their rescue. “We’re missing three! We want them back alive!” they have shouted while protesting in front of the presidential palace in the capital, Quito. The kidnappings of JavierContinueContinue reading “Three journalists are kidnapped in Ecuador, signaling the violence spilling over from Colombia (The Washington Post)”
Indigenous Amazonian women demand end to extraction (Mongabay)
QUITO, ECUADOR – Nearly 100 indigenous women of the Ecuadorian Amazon spent five days protesting outside the country’s Presidential Palace last week. They were demanding a meeting with President Lenin Moreno and to personally deliver their political mandate. Authorities eventually agreed to a meeting between the protesters and the president, currently set for March 22.ContinueContinue reading “Indigenous Amazonian women demand end to extraction (Mongabay)”
Mujeres indígenas llevan cuatro días esperando por una reunión con el presidente de Ecuador (Mongabay LatAm)
QUITO, ECUADOR – Es el cuarto día que cerca de 100 mujeres indígenas de la Amazonía ecuatoriana protestan en las afueras del Palacio de Carondelet, residencia oficial del presidente del Ecuador. Llegaron el lunes a la ciudad de Quito para exigir una reunión con el mandatario Lenin Moreno y entregarle personalmente un documento que recoge todasContinueContinue reading “Mujeres indígenas llevan cuatro días esperando por una reunión con el presidente de Ecuador (Mongabay LatAm)”
Indigenous women march in Ecuador, vow to ‘defend our territory’ (Mongabay)
PUYO, ECUADOR – About 350 Indigenous women from across the Ecuadorian Amazon gathered here yesterday to celebrate International Women’s Day, and, they say, to fight back against a system that violates their rights. Many women spoke out specifically against the extractive industries operating in their territories. They say these industries have caused forced displacements andContinueContinue reading “Indigenous women march in Ecuador, vow to ‘defend our territory’ (Mongabay)”
Ecuador: mujeres indígenas marcharon para exigir el respeto de sus derechos (Mongabay)
PUYO, ECUADOR – Alrededor de 350 mujeres indígenas de toda la Amazonía ecuatoriana marcharon ayer en la localidad de Puyo, provincia de Pastaza, para protestar contra un sistema que aseguran está violando sus derechos. Muchas de ellas se manifestaron en contra de las operaciones de las industrias extractivas que operan en sus territorios y que,ContinueContinue reading “Ecuador: mujeres indígenas marcharon para exigir el respeto de sus derechos (Mongabay)”
Kimberley Michelle Brown 