Amazonian Leaders Demand Governments Protect Living Forests

Indigenous Amazonian Leaders at COP 23 Demand Governments Protect Living Forests & Keep Oil in the Ground

Kichwa Leaders from the Ecuadorian Amazon Will Take Call to Protect Living Forests of the Amazon to U.N. Global Climate Conference

Who: Indigenous leaders from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, who have led their community in protecting their rights and indigenous territory from oil extraction and are now advancing a call to protect the Living Forests amid new threats for oil and mining development throughout the Sacred Headwaters of the Amazon.

Sarayaku Community Leaders/Delegates:
Mirian Cisneros, President, Sarayaku
Yacu Viteri, International Representative, Sarayaku
Patricia Gualinga, Community Leader, Sarayaku
Nina Gualinga, Sarayaku youth/Hakhu Co-Founder

Accompanied by Amazon Watch Staff:
Kevin Koenig, Ecuador Program Director, Amazon Watch
Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director, Amazon Watch

Full bios at amazonwatch.org/cop23

Why: Two years after COP 21 in Paris, elected leaders around the globe have proven their unwillingness to take the bold, urgent action needed to respond to the chaos that climate change is already beginning to wreak on the planet. Indigenous peoples, however, have solutions that advance climate justice, including the protection of the Amazon rainforest, which is vital for climate stability. The Kichwa of Sarayaku have a visionary proposal to protect "Living Forests" by establishing a new category of protection for biodiversity and culture – a sacred territory free from industrial extraction – and they are gaining ground in alliance with indigenous and frontline communities around the world working to defend the sacred and keep oil in the ground.

Mirian Cisneros, President of Sarayaku, said: "For us, all beings have life. Our forest is full of life. With extraction, peaceful well-being will end. There will be no future for humanity or our future generations. We call on the governments of the world to stop these corporations from continuing their unchecked extractivism and to stop them from destroying our living forest. It is our obligation and yours to preserve what we have left for the well-being of all humanity and for the future generations to come."

Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch, said: "Considering that global climate chaos is here and global experts are warning that three-quarters of the world's fossil fuels must be kept in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change, protecting the Amazon is a greater priority than ever. We stand with indigenous peoples and allies to stop Amazon destruction, advance indigenous solutions, and support climate justice."

When & Where: Delegates will participate in official UN side events and public events, including: Climate March on Nov 11, the People’s Climate Summit, International Rights of Nature Tribunal, WECAN Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Changeevents, press conferences, and much more.

Current schedule of events at which delegates will be present available at:

amazonwatch.org/cop23

For more information:

amazonwatch.org and sarayaku.org

ENDS

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