Securing Rights & Resources in Ecuador

This project seeks to support the Shuar of Ecuador’s Transkutuku region in consolidating their land rights; developing joint strategy for territorial protection and management; pursuing sustainable income generation initiatives; and building a strong representative organization.
Location:Ecuador
Partner:Shuar Nation of Ecuador (NASHE)

Project description

Background:Recent developments in Ecuador have brought both challenges and opportunities for indigenous peoples. On the one hand, the government has recognized greater autonomy and rights for indigenous peoples, but on the other it has also granted concessions for oil and mining, and introduced new laws that would essentially open the Amazon to large-scale development. In face of these developments, it is critical to support indigenous peoples in obtaining rights to their lands, and in supporting their informed participation in the decisions that will affect them.

The Rainforest Foundation has been supporting the Shuar of the Transkutuku, a region in the southern Ecuadorean Amazon, for the past five years. The project has helped them secure title to over 700 square miles of land. It has also worked with communities to define regulations for use of lands and natural resources, and has supported a pilot sustainable development project in one community. The Shuar currently face both threats and opportunities, however, stemming from government plans for oil and mining in the Amazon; a road which is being built through their territory; and, simultaneously, government recognition of greater autonomy for indigenous peoples.The primary goals of this project are therefore to provide the Shuar with the tools necessary to address both these threats and opportunities in order to safeguard their recent gains into the future. The project combines campaigning; hands-on management training; community-wide meetings; and developing skills, tools and pilot projects needed to support their organization into the future.

Activities:
•Implementation of pilot sustainable development projects, including a nursery
•Development of a community-based strategy for self-government and territorial defense
•Dissemination of information and development of joint strategy regarding oil development on Shuar lands
•Hands-on management training for Shuar leadership

Did you know?

•Millions of hectares in the South-Central Ecuadorian Amazon—including the unique ecosystem of the Transkutuku—are still for the most part isolated from the impact of development projects, although this is quickly changing.
•The region contains 57% of all the country’s mammals and more than 15,000 plant species.
•Approximately 6,000 Shuar (and 5,000 Achuar) live in the Transkutuku.
•The Shuar have extensive ecological knowledge, and their culture is based on maintaining a harmonious relationship between human activity and their natural surroundings.

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