Ecuador's government passed a law allowing private entities, including foreign companies, to manage conservation zones, leading to substantial criticism from various groups. Indigenous leaders and environmental advocates argue this legislation could facilitate land grabs and weaken protections for constitutional rights. Critics claim the law contradicts at least 15 international agreements, including the ILO Convention 169. While government officials promote it as a way to bolster oversight and park security, opponents fear it may worsen environmental degradation and violate the rights of affected communities.
"This is constitutional vandalism," said Oscar Soria, co-CEO of the international policy group The Common Initiative. "Ecuador has shattered its international credibility and invited isolation from the global community."
"The legislators of Ecuador reopened a historic wound," said Justino Piaguaje, leader of the Siekopai peoples and head of the NASIEPAI Indigenous organization. Piaguaje slammed the law as "dangerous and unconstitutional" and said it not only reinforces systemic violations of Indigenous rights but "actively perpetuates a legacy of dispossession and violence that stretches back to the colonial era.".
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