Support the Nina Amarun Indigenous Tribe
Donation protected
I am sharing the story of Nina Amarun, guardians of the Amazonian forest, a small but hugely important indigenous tribe that urgently need our help as their land and way of life is in extreme danger. The government is demanding money and the threat from oil companies is imminent.
I ventured far from conventional civilisation to reach a place where the old ways have not been forgotten. A Kichwa speaking community re-founded 23 years ago from indigenous people all motivated by a deep desire to restore the ecosystem. Nina Amarun’s land is a mosaic of terrestrial forest and aquatic ecosystems harbouring one of the greatest concentrations of biodiversity on Earth. It was a mind- blowing and humbling experience to live with the community and become a part of their family. They work tirelessly to protect the environment for future generations. It has been a life changing experience for me to meet and be inspired by this small group of people, who against all odds, are genuinely making the world a better place.
After a powerful protest of the Amazonian Kichwas held in 1992 with 5000 indigenous people involved, the Ecuadorian state handed over the rights to 20.000 hectares of land for Nina Amarun’s use. In 1998, Ecuador ratified the International Labor Organization's (ILO) 169th convention, which guaranteed its indigenous people the right to free, prior, and informed consent before the government would allow anyone to extract natural resources from indigenous territories. The Ecuadorian constitution itself even describes extractive operations in indigenous territories as “ethnocide.” The government has huge outstanding loans to China which it can only repay by drilling in protected land for ever more oil. The government asked the world community to help pay via a fund so it did not drill in such important environmental locations - but failed to raise enough and the expansion of drilling continues.
In practice, the government can override these constitutional regulations if officials determine that drilling would be in the national interest. In such cases, oil companies send representatives to negotiate with indigenous groups living in the territories that the companies have leased from the government.
The oil companies are also the source of lethal contamination in general water sources, drinking water, and soil. The Environmental Health Department found that 100% of water for human consumption was contaminated with heavy metals, petroleum based hydrocarbons, TPHs and e-coli.
Not all of Ecuador's indigenous groups have capitulated to the oil industry. In 2015, a delegation from the Kichwa community in Sarayaku, just south of Yasuní, attended COP21, the United Nations climate change meeting in Paris. “Our people are committed and determined to make sure that there is no oil, no mining, no industrial development on our territories,” said Kichwa leader Patricia Gualinga through a translator. Her Kichwa community has successfully kept oil out of their territory for a decade.
Indigenous people have been responsible stewards of their lands and resources for thousands of years. With the arrival of rubber-harvesters during the rubber boom, some of the natives became part of the western history. The grandparents of the people living in Nina Amarun also ended up working for those companies exporting rubber to Quito, Brasil and Peru. Although they’ve been the protectors of the rainforest for so long, they had no legal rights over their land and slowly various companies started destroying their ecosystem which caused the extinction of some species in their region.
This month the Nina Amarun tribe, as well as 5 other communities, were informed that the oil companies have been granted permission to exploit their land. One of the most biodiverse places in the world in danger of being destroyed for company directors' profits and repaying unreasonable debts to China once again.
Biodiversity is life on Earth, and every extinction chips away at it, undermining the stability of the planet. We are becoming ever more aware that global human wellbeing depends on healthy rainforests for clean water, food security, carbon capture and other benefits. Keeping the Amazonian Rainforest and indigenous tribes alive should be one of our top global priorities.
The community of Nina Amarun is founded on ancestral sustainable systems that can facilitate a thriving land. For example, they saved 150 turtles from extinction and they are trying to inspire the indigenous communities around them to continue fighting for the health of their land. Although they are a small group of people, they are at the forefront of regenerating an important ecosystem for all of us.
These people are some of the most wonderful people I ever met in my life. We have so much to learn from them. They are determined to fight for their land and are still hopeful they can, but they do need some external support at this stage.
Your donations will ensure they can appeal to the government to block the licence for oil companies to drill in their sacred land.
Your donations will enable the building of simple but critical infrastructure needed for eco tourists and specialist visitors, allowing a sustainable income from teaching and sharing their knowledge which can be of benefit to many other regions while providing the funds for protection of their biodiverse ecosystem.
The financial help needed to make the difference between success and losing this is within our reach. We will know how the money will be split after Nina Amarun's community meeting. In the tribe, before they take a decision, they need to make sure everyone agrees. They work collaboratively to make sure no one from their tribe is left behind.
International support would also be extremely welcome. If you know any international organisations who can help, experts already in this field or any Spanish speakers working in International Law who could work pro bono for them, do urge them to contact me.
With all the love,
Floree
I ventured far from conventional civilisation to reach a place where the old ways have not been forgotten. A Kichwa speaking community re-founded 23 years ago from indigenous people all motivated by a deep desire to restore the ecosystem. Nina Amarun’s land is a mosaic of terrestrial forest and aquatic ecosystems harbouring one of the greatest concentrations of biodiversity on Earth. It was a mind- blowing and humbling experience to live with the community and become a part of their family. They work tirelessly to protect the environment for future generations. It has been a life changing experience for me to meet and be inspired by this small group of people, who against all odds, are genuinely making the world a better place.
After a powerful protest of the Amazonian Kichwas held in 1992 with 5000 indigenous people involved, the Ecuadorian state handed over the rights to 20.000 hectares of land for Nina Amarun’s use. In 1998, Ecuador ratified the International Labor Organization's (ILO) 169th convention, which guaranteed its indigenous people the right to free, prior, and informed consent before the government would allow anyone to extract natural resources from indigenous territories. The Ecuadorian constitution itself even describes extractive operations in indigenous territories as “ethnocide.” The government has huge outstanding loans to China which it can only repay by drilling in protected land for ever more oil. The government asked the world community to help pay via a fund so it did not drill in such important environmental locations - but failed to raise enough and the expansion of drilling continues.
In practice, the government can override these constitutional regulations if officials determine that drilling would be in the national interest. In such cases, oil companies send representatives to negotiate with indigenous groups living in the territories that the companies have leased from the government.
The oil companies are also the source of lethal contamination in general water sources, drinking water, and soil. The Environmental Health Department found that 100% of water for human consumption was contaminated with heavy metals, petroleum based hydrocarbons, TPHs and e-coli.
Not all of Ecuador's indigenous groups have capitulated to the oil industry. In 2015, a delegation from the Kichwa community in Sarayaku, just south of Yasuní, attended COP21, the United Nations climate change meeting in Paris. “Our people are committed and determined to make sure that there is no oil, no mining, no industrial development on our territories,” said Kichwa leader Patricia Gualinga through a translator. Her Kichwa community has successfully kept oil out of their territory for a decade.
Indigenous people have been responsible stewards of their lands and resources for thousands of years. With the arrival of rubber-harvesters during the rubber boom, some of the natives became part of the western history. The grandparents of the people living in Nina Amarun also ended up working for those companies exporting rubber to Quito, Brasil and Peru. Although they’ve been the protectors of the rainforest for so long, they had no legal rights over their land and slowly various companies started destroying their ecosystem which caused the extinction of some species in their region.
This month the Nina Amarun tribe, as well as 5 other communities, were informed that the oil companies have been granted permission to exploit their land. One of the most biodiverse places in the world in danger of being destroyed for company directors' profits and repaying unreasonable debts to China once again.
Biodiversity is life on Earth, and every extinction chips away at it, undermining the stability of the planet. We are becoming ever more aware that global human wellbeing depends on healthy rainforests for clean water, food security, carbon capture and other benefits. Keeping the Amazonian Rainforest and indigenous tribes alive should be one of our top global priorities.
The community of Nina Amarun is founded on ancestral sustainable systems that can facilitate a thriving land. For example, they saved 150 turtles from extinction and they are trying to inspire the indigenous communities around them to continue fighting for the health of their land. Although they are a small group of people, they are at the forefront of regenerating an important ecosystem for all of us.
These people are some of the most wonderful people I ever met in my life. We have so much to learn from them. They are determined to fight for their land and are still hopeful they can, but they do need some external support at this stage.
Your donations will ensure they can appeal to the government to block the licence for oil companies to drill in their sacred land.
Your donations will enable the building of simple but critical infrastructure needed for eco tourists and specialist visitors, allowing a sustainable income from teaching and sharing their knowledge which can be of benefit to many other regions while providing the funds for protection of their biodiverse ecosystem.
The financial help needed to make the difference between success and losing this is within our reach. We will know how the money will be split after Nina Amarun's community meeting. In the tribe, before they take a decision, they need to make sure everyone agrees. They work collaboratively to make sure no one from their tribe is left behind.
International support would also be extremely welcome. If you know any international organisations who can help, experts already in this field or any Spanish speakers working in International Law who could work pro bono for them, do urge them to contact me.
With all the love,
Floree
Organizer
Flo Ree
Organizer
England