Eco-Colonialism in Ecuador: The Fight to Protect Yasuni

By: Abre Olson
​Abre is a student and writer based in Seattle, passionate about climate justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and storytelling as a tool for change.

In the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon lies Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and home to Indigenous communities like the Waorani and Kichwa. For years, these communities have lived in deep relationship with the land, protecting it not only as a source of life but as a sacred space. Yet, in the name of “green development,” their sovereignty has been repeatedly undermined.The Ecuadorian government, backed by international interests, has promoted oil extraction in Yasuní as a necessary step toward economic growth and energy transition. Despite the park’s protected status, over 148 new gold mining concessions were granted in the Napo province since 2020. These projects, often justified as part of a broader “green” agenda, contaminate rivers and destroy ecosystems that Indigenous communities depend on for survival. As Kichwa activist Leonardo Leonel Cerda Tapuy explains, “If our water is contaminated, it is a certain death for us and our families”.

This is eco-colonialism in action: environmental policies and extractive projects imposed without Indigenous consent, often under the guise of sustainability. The irony is stark—while the global North touts renewable energy and conservation, the burden of resource extraction falls on Indigenous lands in the global South.But resistance is growing. The “Sí al Yasuní” campaign, led by Indigenous activists, successfully pushed for a national referendum to halt oil drilling in the park. This historic vote, held in August 2023, marked the first time a country decided the fate of a biosphere through direct democracy. Meanwhile, Indigenous leaders like Mamá Mercedes Tunubalá Velasco in Colombia are advancing “planes de vida”—life plans rooted in ancestral knowledge that offer alternatives to capitalist development models.
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These movements challenge mainstream ideas of sustainability by centering Indigenous worldviews that value harmony with nature over profit. They remind us that true climate justice must include Indigenous autonomy, not just carbon offsets and conservation zones.Eco-colonialism isn’t just about environmental harm—it’s about erasure. But Indigenous communities across Latin America are refusing to be erased. They are organizing, resisting, and reimagining futures where life—not extraction—is the measure of progress.