Indigenous Groups Reject Ecuador’s Extractive Expansion
On September 24, 2025, seven Indigenous nations in Ecuador’s Amazon—Andwa, Shuar, Achuar, Kichwa, Sapara, Shiwiar, and Waorani—issued a joint denunciation of the government’s plan to auction 49 oil and gas blocks valued at US$47 billion. They argue that 18 of these blocks overlap directly with ancestral territories, placing communities and ecosystems at risk. Leaders stressed that the government failed to secure free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) as required by both Ecuador’s constitution and international conventions, framing the process as a violation of rights and a direct threat to cultural survival.
Concerns Over Rights and Environment
The organizations emphasized that the auctions could trigger deforestation, pollution, and displacement in one of the most biodiverse regions of the planet. They also warned that weakening environmental institutions—through restructuring of the Environment Ministry and co-management of protected zones— has eroded safeguards just as extractive pressures intensify. For these communities, the plan is not simply about resource management, but about the erosion of territorial integrity, environmental protection, and the ability to live according to traditional ways of life.
Implications for Ecuador’s Extractive Agenda
The rejection by seven nations underscores a profound crisis of social legitimacy facing Ecuador’s extractive policy. Any move to advance the auctions could spark protests, legal actions, and international scrutiny, raising reputational risks for investors. The conflict illustrates a broader tension across the region: governments facing fiscal pressure pursue large-scale extractive revenues, while Indigenous peoples and environmental defenders insist that development cannot come at the cost of rights, ecosystems, and cultural continuity. The government’s handling of this clash will likely shape Ecuador’s social license to operate for years to come.