Chapter 4
In 1978, the Fundacion Natura was created which began the environmental movement in Ecuador. This organization was the first nonprofit of its kind and mainly focused on conservation efforts. Fundacion Natura was the inspiration for many other organizations with similar thoughts and plans. Most people got their start in Natura as part-time employees or volunteers.
After its first months of existence, Natura entered a contract with USAID which gave them the funds to hire full-time employees. These staff and additional funding allowed Fundacion Natura to take off; they begin to set larger goals and undertake new projects. It was approximately seven years until any other environmental groups came to be.
Accion Ecologica was the next environmental group to be established in Ecuador, following in the footsteps of Fundacion Natura. This group was made up of mostly women who felt that they were very capable of fixing the resource extraction problems that were plaguing Ecuador at that time. In a movement called Amazonia por la Vida, they worked to protect the locals of the Amazon region from the negative social, environmental, and economic impacts their communities would face if drilling occurred there. These were the crucial first steps that allow Accion Ecologica to continue their fight against resource extraction and oil drilling even to this day. AE has never been funded by USAID.
Accion Ecologica educates locals enough to organize themselves into groups who can stand up for their homes and fight against those who wanted to mine or drill in their area. Natura focused more on educating so the people would be able to create/support environmental policies. Such issues as these were what often separated the two organizations, as their fundamental structure differed very much. More people know about Natura simply because it was funded by USAID, whereas Accion Ecologica worked more “behind the scenes” with the indigenous people.
At that time, if I was living in Ecuador, I would have probably supported Accion Ecologica. While both are working for the bettering of the people and their environment, I would’ve felt empowered by the fact that women play such a huge role in such impactful works. Since the locals know the most about the local issues, it certainly makes sense to consult them when deciding what issues to prioritize. Even know, reading about this organization, I feel inspired by their work. People always tell you that you can be whatever you want to be or do what you want to do with your life, but this reminds me that even a few people can help to change the world.
In 1987, Ecuador experienced its first of three debt-for-nature swaps. These swaps allow for a country in the global north to purchase some portion debt from a country in the global south. In exchange, the country in the global south will set up a Trust Fund, which they must use to enable conservation efforts or other environmental projects.
Ecuador was quite a popular swap spot, as it owed many countries money internationally. Also, the country had plenty of diversity to be worth protecting when it comes to the environment. It was obvious that the people of Ecuador were concerned for the wellbeing of their home when it comes to such serious environmental threats. These things made Ecuador a desirable debt-for-nature swap location.
1978 to 1987 were years full of debt and weakness for Ecuador. However, in the midst of the struggles arose the first groups to acknowledge how important it is to protect the environment and the people.
Works Cited:
Debt for Nature Swaps (n.d.). In Financing Solutions for Sustainable Development. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.undp.org/content/sdfinance/en/home/solutions/debt-for-nature-swaps.html
After its first months of existence, Natura entered a contract with USAID which gave them the funds to hire full-time employees. These staff and additional funding allowed Fundacion Natura to take off; they begin to set larger goals and undertake new projects. It was approximately seven years until any other environmental groups came to be.
Accion Ecologica was the next environmental group to be established in Ecuador, following in the footsteps of Fundacion Natura. This group was made up of mostly women who felt that they were very capable of fixing the resource extraction problems that were plaguing Ecuador at that time. In a movement called Amazonia por la Vida, they worked to protect the locals of the Amazon region from the negative social, environmental, and economic impacts their communities would face if drilling occurred there. These were the crucial first steps that allow Accion Ecologica to continue their fight against resource extraction and oil drilling even to this day. AE has never been funded by USAID.
Accion Ecologica educates locals enough to organize themselves into groups who can stand up for their homes and fight against those who wanted to mine or drill in their area. Natura focused more on educating so the people would be able to create/support environmental policies. Such issues as these were what often separated the two organizations, as their fundamental structure differed very much. More people know about Natura simply because it was funded by USAID, whereas Accion Ecologica worked more “behind the scenes” with the indigenous people.
At that time, if I was living in Ecuador, I would have probably supported Accion Ecologica. While both are working for the bettering of the people and their environment, I would’ve felt empowered by the fact that women play such a huge role in such impactful works. Since the locals know the most about the local issues, it certainly makes sense to consult them when deciding what issues to prioritize. Even know, reading about this organization, I feel inspired by their work. People always tell you that you can be whatever you want to be or do what you want to do with your life, but this reminds me that even a few people can help to change the world.
In 1987, Ecuador experienced its first of three debt-for-nature swaps. These swaps allow for a country in the global north to purchase some portion debt from a country in the global south. In exchange, the country in the global south will set up a Trust Fund, which they must use to enable conservation efforts or other environmental projects.
Ecuador was quite a popular swap spot, as it owed many countries money internationally. Also, the country had plenty of diversity to be worth protecting when it comes to the environment. It was obvious that the people of Ecuador were concerned for the wellbeing of their home when it comes to such serious environmental threats. These things made Ecuador a desirable debt-for-nature swap location.
1978 to 1987 were years full of debt and weakness for Ecuador. However, in the midst of the struggles arose the first groups to acknowledge how important it is to protect the environment and the people.
Works Cited:
Debt for Nature Swaps (n.d.). In Financing Solutions for Sustainable Development. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.undp.org/content/sdfinance/en/home/solutions/debt-for-nature-swaps.html