Indigenous leaders from nine countries in the Amazon basin met in Ecuador on Tuesday and demanded that South American governments halt extractive industries that damage the rainforest, urging them to respect agreements and legal rulings recognizing communities’ rights over territories.
Governments in the region are failing to live up to their promises to protect indigenous groups, the leaders representing 500 communities — including from Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil — said, adding they feel disrespect when they are not consulted over the exploitation of oil and mining projects in their territories.
“We are demanding humanity support us in our fight for life, for