Yasuni Endorsements

Iwith

2008-12-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

The Yasuní national park in Ecuador is a pristine area of Amazon rainforest. It is a place of unparalleled beauty, biodiversity, ecological and cultural importance, and is home to many groups of indigenous people, some of whom have chosen to live in isolation from the rest of the world.

It, and the lives of the people who live there, are currently threatened with destruction in order to extract half a billion barrels of oil. This must not happen. For the sake of Yasuní's people, and the global climate that we all rely on, the oil must stay in the ground.

The President of Ecuador has appealed to the international community to help save Yasuní but his proposal - that rich countries pay Ecuador $350m per annum over ten years not to exploit the oil - has failed to take off. This is due to both the lack of clarity from the Ecuadorian government and the lack of support from rich countries.

Although the proposal is visionary in recognizing that northern countries have an obligation to help southern countries mitigate climate change, it has significant flaws: it does not protect the rights of the forest's indigenous inhabitants, leaves Yasuní vulnerable to future oil exploitation, and risks turning it into a giant carbon offset, sold to the highest paying polluter.

If this proposal is improved, Yasuní could set a new precedent for climate justice. It could provide a model for how the rich world can fulfil its existing obligations to help countries in the global South preserve their environmental and cultural treasures and make the transition to a low carbon economy, in partnership with local communities.

Action to save Yasuní is needed now!

This means:

An unconditional, non-reversible commitment from the Ecuadorian government to preserve Yasuní and protect the human rights of its people.

An unlimited extension of the time given to reach agreement on how to do this.

An international process led by the Ecuadorian Government, with full participation from local and indigenous groups in the region, to create a clear, coherent and fully representative proposal for securing a long-term sustainable future for Yasuní. This process should seek to work in partnership with supportive NGOs and governments.

An assurance that any financial support from governments will come through an open, democratic and accountable process, and will not involve carbon trading, World Bank funding or debt cancellation schemes, which have proved ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions and damaging to local peoples' rights around the world.

An assurance that any other projects which may have a negative impact on the area will not be allowed to go ahead.

www.iwith.org

Transnational Institute

2008-12-04T05:48:00.002-08:00

Action to save Yasuní is needed now!

This means:

An unconditional, non-reversible commitment from the Ecuadorian government to preserve Yasuní and protect the human rights of its people.

An unlimited extension of the time given to reach agreement on how to do this.

An international process led by the Ecuadorian Government, with full participation from local and indigenous groups in the region, to create a clear, coherent and fully representative proposal for securing a long-term sustainable future for Yasuní. This process should seek to work in partnership with supportive NGOs and governments.

An assurance that any financial support from governments will come through an open, democratic and accountable process, and will not involve carbon trading, World Bank funding or debt cancellation schemes, which have proved ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions and damaging to local peoples' rights around the world.

An assurance that any other projects which may have a negative impact on the area will not be allowed to go ahead.

http://www.tni.org

Platform

2008-12-04T05:48:00.001-08:00

Action to save Yasuní is needed now!

This means:

An unconditional, non-reversible commitment from the Ecuadorian government to preserve Yasuní and protect the human rights of its people.

An unlimited extension of the time given to reach agreement on how to do this.

An international process led by the Ecuadorian Government, with full participation from local and indigenous groups in the region, to create a clear, coherent and fully representative proposal for securing a long-term sustainable future for Yasuní. This process should seek to work in partnership with supportive NGOs and governments.

An assurance that any financial support from governments will come through an open, democratic and accountable process, and will not involve carbon trading, World Bank funding or debt cancellation schemes, which have proved ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions and damaging to local peoples' rights around the world.

An assurance that any other projects which may have a negative impact on the area will not be allowed to go ahead.

World Rainforest Movement

2008-12-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

Action to save Yasuní is needed now!

This means:

An unconditional, non-reversible commitment from the Ecuadorian government to preserve Yasuní and protect the human rights of its people.

An unlimited extension of the time given to reach agreement on how to do this.

An international process led by the Ecuadorian Government, with full participation from local and indigenous groups in the region, to create a clear, coherent and fully representative proposal for securing a long-term sustainable future for Yasuní. This process should seek to work in partnership with supportive NGOs and governments.

An assurance that any financial support from governments will come through an open, democratic and accountable process, and will not involve carbon trading, World Bank funding or debt cancellation schemes, which have proved ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions and damaging to local peoples' rights around the world.

An assurance that any other projects which may have a negative impact on the area will not be allowed to go ahead.

Biofuelwatch

2008-12-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

Action to save Yasuní is needed now!

This means:

An unconditional, non-reversible commitment from the Ecuadorian government to preserve Yasuní and protect the human rights of its people.

An unlimited extension of the time given to reach agreement on how to do this.

An international process led by the Ecuadorian Government, with full participation from local and indigenous groups in the region, to create a clear, coherent and fully representative proposal for securing a long-term sustainable future for Yasuní. This process should seek to work in partnership with supportive NGOs and governments.

An assurance that any financial support from governments will come through an open, democratic and accountable process, and will not involve carbon trading, World Bank funding or debt cancellation schemes, which have proved ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions and damaging to local peoples' rights around the world.

An assurance that any other projects which may have a negative impact on the area will not be allowed to go ahead.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2008-09-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

We have been fortunate to be able to be connected with people and organizations from all over the world who have contribuited ideas, skills and resources to the campaign; without them it would have been impossible.
The Local Government of Francisco de Orellana:specially the mayor Anita Carolina Rivas for giving us the opportunity to live and work with them for a while and for trusting us with theses beautiful photographs and with the Campaign. Juan Antonio Córdoba: sorry for giving you so much extra work, Ximena Narvaez, Alfoso Martínez, Francisco Dutichela and the resto of the local government family. Thanks for everything!
Special thanks to Jane Goodall, Ricardo Carrere, Laura Rival and Carlos Larrea;also to Clair Jones and Mary Lewis, of the Jane Goodall Foundation.
To Oscar Francino and the NGO Ali Supay, for their social commitment,m their kindness and their quick response when we contacted them about the images.
The FORMIA project, fro taking us to the doors of Ecuador, for their kindness and for allowing us to meet the ¨alternative local indigenous governments¨. Luis Robles, thanks for all ¨pirate¨, Cesar Vizarrea, Julio Yuquilema, Juan José Sanzberro and Isabel Farinango.
To Ramón Bartomeus, from Iwith, for his trust and help with our idea even before we knew we had one.
Consultores sin Fronteras:Vanessa Ruiz, Salvador García, Lorena Rienzi, Ileana Morales for helping us from the beginning, for their huge contribuition and for continuing to suppor us.
Manuel Acevedo and Ivan Ortiz for their frienship and for sharing our social challenges.¡egoglobal!.
To Guillermo Corral, all of this started with that coffee in the faculty...
To Ana María Pastor, Germán Haro, Jorge Haro and to Toni, Sally and Nicolas Donati, for so many things...
The whole of the New Internationalist family: Troth Wells, Daniel Raymond-Barker, Andrew Kokotka, Vanessa Baird, Sam Martingel and others, for believing in us, for thir kindness and for helping us in so many more ways than simply the editorial. It has been a plesuar to work with and know you all.
Keyla Greciano, Maryem Torres, Emily Bridges and Troth Wells for putting a roof over Ginés´ head for a large part of the months we have spent creating Yasuní Green Gold.
Other who have contribuited:
Joaquín Aviles, Rosa López, Caitlin Ketchen, Lydia Caistor Arendar, Nick Caistor, Jeremy Rayner, Oliver Yeates, George MacDonald, Ricardo Vinent, Jose Luis Martí, Concha Jambrina, Daniel Cibati, Iona Orengo, Héctor Disseny, Gustavo Ruiz Llavero, Ferrán Guallar, Josetxo, Bárbara Janssens, Dennis Gruber, Edward Beardsnore, Melanie Gill, Mª Dolores Lupiañez, Mª Jose Bell, Asociación Madre Coraje, Movimiento Idun....

And to all the organizations, scientist, researches and other people who have trusted in us on nothing more than our word and our hopes.

And to everyone that we have forgotten, thank you and please forgive us!
Good work guys!

Jordi Llopart. United Nations Millennium Campaign. New York. US

2008-09-01T09:44:00.001-07:00

"On September 8, 2000, 189 United Nations member states signed the Millennium Declaration. In that inspiring declaration, nations of the world stated, among other things:

“…We must spare no effort to free all of humanity, and above all our children and grandchildren, from the threat of living on a planet irredeemably spoilt by human activities, and whose resources would no longer be sufficient for their needs […]We resolve therefore to adopt in all our environmental actions a new ethic of conservation and stewardship and, as first steps, we resolve […]To intensify our collective efforts for the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests…”.

(55/2. United Nations Millennium Declaration Paras. 21 and 23)

The government of Ecuador signed the Millennium Declaration and has endorsed the 8 Millennium Development Goals that came out of this international agreement. The Millennium Goals clearly show that reducing poverty and achieving sustained development must be done in conjunction with a healthy planet. The Millennium Development Goals recognize that environmental sustainability is part of global economic and social well-being".

Exploitation of natural resources such as the Yasuní National Park can cause alarming changes in our environment and can harm the most vulnerable people in the world who depend on natural resources for their livelihood. Outreach efforts such as the one promoted by the Movimiento Idun to protect the Yasuní are necessary to bring the issue to the public attention, and I support such efforts.

Jordi Llopart

United Nations Millennium Campaign. New York. USA.

Miguel Ángel Martín López. Head of International Cooperation, Cordoba Diputación, Spain.

2008-09-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

"I vividly remember the images, colours and smells of my descent, by boat, through the river Napo arriving finally at one of the communities in the lower Tiputini, in the depths of the Yasuní. Nature, in its most pure and virginal form was in front of my very eyes. This manifested itself with even greater force and vigour entering further inland. It is an impregnable tangle, and explosion of life. How many secrets it must contain! Only its inhabitants, the indigenous peoples, have been able to gain knowledge about them. Those who live so far away, yet at the same time so close to the real world.

It is true that the whole world is interconnected - that famous globalization. Not long ago I read that the Amazon needs elements contained in sand brought over by the wind from the Sahara desert. Without doubt, now more than ever, humanity has the obligation and moral duty to protect these incredibly pure landscapes. This is because it means humane and sustainable development for its original occupants and for all humanity. It is life, because we need what it offers, its oxygen and its consciousness about all nature.

Nature is paradoxical. So strong, vigorous and wild in itself, yet so fragile and vulnerable in the hands of man. We should all help, so that it should not be necessary to lose even an inch of its wealth. Yasuní is Green Gold, because of this I support the campaign".

Miguel Ángel Martín López

Head of International Cooperation, Cordoba Diputación, Spain.

Luis Robles. National Project Director for Ecuador, Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), Ecuador.

2008-09-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

"Global vested interest at the highest level in the Yasuni territory is on the rise. It is one of the richest areas in the world in terms of natural resources. As a result, it has become a hot zone. The race for timber and oil resources is not only threatening the local ecosystem, but also the traditional people who live on this ancestral land and the mestizo population who is dependent on the economy created by the uncontrolled exploitation of the Yasuni forest.

However, in the middle of this whirlwind, a proposal has emerged in Yasuni, outlining local land management, coexistence, and change. The many groups within the Ecuadorian indigenous movement, as well as several social collectives from the area backed by the local government in Francisco de Orellana, are calling upon the international community to recognise their proposals to self-manage their territory in an inclusive and participatory way.

While working with FORMIA, part of the Secretary of State for Indigenous People (CODENPE), to strengthen the rural areas, I was fortunate enough to meet and work with some of these local groups. I witnessed how they are coming up with inclusive development proposals that are respectful of their land by strengthening the organisational and participatory processes of their societies".

The initiative to launch this campaign to save the Yasuni was born in this tumultuous, yet hopeful, atmosphere. A place where conflict, dialogue, and change intermingle. From here, I wish to call upon both national and international actors who have a stake in Yasuni to listen. Let us open our ears to the proposals of the local people while retaining our capacity to provide constructive criticism. And let us join them in the processes that they themselves have initiated. Yasuni is Green Gold

Luis Robles

National Project Director for Ecuador, Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), Ecuador.

Terry L. Erwin. Curator of Coleoptera and Chairman. Entomology Departament. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington D

2008-09-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

“Each hectare of pristine Amazonian rainforest contains up to 3.03 x 1012 individuals of terrestrial arthropods representing some 100,000+ species. Our research team is in the midst of a long term study in an area of Yasuni National Park that has been impacted by road construction for oil extraction. Our team has collected nearly 10 million specimens of arthropods, including over 300,000 beetles so far. We estimate that 50 - 80 percent of the species in the Yasuni forest canopy are new to science and never before viewed under a microscope. Because our research on the link between oil extraction, road-building, and the forest canopy fauna is so closely related to the theme of the Yasuni Green Gold book, we wholeheartedly support its publication. We hope that Yasuni National Park will remain a pristine forest ecosystem where researchers and students can come to study tropical biology and biodiversity. The Yasuni Green Gold campaign will show the world what irreplaceable treasures of diversity Yasuni rainforests truly are.”

Dr. Terry L. Erwin

Curator of Coleoptera and Chairman. Entomology Departament

and

Dr. Christy Jo Geraci
Department of Entomology. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA

Christy Jo Gerac. Entomology Departament, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA

2008-09-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

“Each hectare of pristine Amazonian rainforest contains up to 3.03 x 1012 individuals of terrestrial arthropods representing some 100,000+ species. Our research team is in the midst of a long term study in an area of Yasuni National Park that has been impacted by road construction for oil extraction. Our team has collected nearly 10 million specimens of arthropods, including over 300,000 beetles so far. We estimate that 50 - 80 percent of the species in the Yasuni forest canopy are new to science and never before viewed under a microscope. Because our research on the link between oil extraction, road-building, and the forest canopy fauna is so closely related to the theme of the Yasuni Green Gold book, we wholeheartedly support its publication. We hope that Yasuni National Park will remain a pristine forest ecosystem where researchers and students can come to study tropical biology and biodiversity. The Yasuni Green Gold campaign will show the world what irreplaceable treasures of diversity Yasuni
rainforests truly are.”

Dr. Christy Jo Geraci

Entomology Departament

and

Dr. Terry L. Erwin
Curator of Coleoptera and Chairman, Department of Entomology. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA

Nils Köster. Epiphyte Working Group. Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants. Bonn. Germany

2008-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

“While it is often difficult to spot the fascinating wildlife and plants in the penumbral brush of tropical rain forests, life takes place most spectacularly in the canopy, high above our heads. Not only do most of the trees themselves bloom and fruit there and attract immense numbers of birds, bats, and insects. Numerous orchids, bromeliads, ferns, and other so-called epiphytes grow high above the ground on the branches and twigs of their host trees, benefiting of the full sunlight.

The epiphytic life requires scores of adaptations to this fragile habitat without any contact to the forest soil. Epiphytes developed a multitude of strategies to obtain and store both water and nutrients, like tank bromeliads and trash-basket ferns. They also show intricate and highly specialized systems of pollination and dispersal, augmenting the diversity of animals involved as well.

Unless fallen trees reveal their manifold inhabitants, scientists have to climb up into the canopy in order to explore the diversity of epiphytes. At Yasuní, we found almost 150 different epiphyte species on not more than 0.1 hectares of rain forest. Worldwide, this is the highest epiphyte diversity ever recorded for an area of that size - another evidence for the enormous biodiversity of Yasuní and a reason to support the ‘Yasuní Green Gold’ campaign.”

Nils Köster

Epiphyte Working Group. Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants. Bonn. Germany

Joaquin Avilés Lopez. Millennium Villages Project. The Earth Institute, Columbia University. New York. USA

2008-09-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

"The idea of that anything is allowed for the sake of economic growth and the typically disproportionate, energy needs of the --"developed” world, needs to be reviewed and modified if we want to reach a truly sustainable and equitable development.

It is our responsibility towards the planet as global citizens and it has to be our commitment to the future generations to protect and to conserve Natural Treasures such as Yasuní, UNESCO World Biosphere and a true jewel within the Amazonia.

For that reason the campaign "Yasuni Oro Verde-Yasuni Green Gold" is an excellent opportunity to promote and defend this unequalled reserve and the values inherent to it.

At the same time, this campaign aims to contribute to a broader global debate that will lead to specific actions to protect the many other places threatened by the need to meet the growing energy consumption of a small fraction of the planet’s population".

Joaquin Avilés Lopez

Millennium Villages Project. The Earth Institute, Columbia University. New York. USA

Javier Retana. Professor of Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications. Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Spain.

2008-09-01T09:33:00.002-07:00

“The Yasuní Natural Park is one of the world’s most diverse nature reserves. The hundreds of animal and plant species which inhabit the Park interact together, allowing the successful functioning of ecological communities. These communities exist in a unique ecosystem in constant evolution which not only maintains local biodiversity but is also of vital importance for the entire planet’s ecology. Every single individual of each species of the Yasuní, (including our own species) depends on, to survive, the successful operation of the ecosystem which they themselves shape. The preservation of these privileged ecosystems and their species is a challenge and an obligation for all of humanity. As Researcher for the Centre of Ecological Investigation and Forestry Applications in Barcelona, I consider it not a duty but a privilege to join the cause in the defence, protection and conservation of the precious biological diversity of the Yasuní.”

Javier Retana

Professor of Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications. Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Spain.

Jesus López Megias. Center of Initiatives in Cooperation for Development (CICODE), University of Granada, Spain.

2008-09-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

“2008 – one of the last refuges for life in a state of true liberty, on the point of being blasted away by the unlimited ambitions of multinational oil companies. A fact often documented and often carried out. But when will it stop? The utter indifference to the lives of the animals, plants, and native inhabitants continues to cut through the rainforests. The Yasuní is under threat, a natural spot of incalculable ecological value and the dwelling of three groups of indigenous peoples, the Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani. There is no room for indifference or delay; time is on the side of the powerful. Because of this it is essential to support campaigns such as ‘Yasuni Green Gold’, which operate locally in the inalienable task of the building of another possible world.”

Jesus López Megias

Center of Initiatives in Cooperation for Development (CICODE), University of Granada, Spain.

Matt Finer. Save America’s Forests. USA.

2008-09-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

“Yasuní Green Gold marvelously illustrates the major components of the overall drama playing out in Yasuni, from the extraordinary and unique indigenous peoples and biodiversity of the region, to the threats posed by oil activities, and an overview of the resistance movements fighting to stop the destruction of the environment and the loss of human rights. The first decades of initial missionary contact with the Waorani and by oil development in Yasuní led to devastating pollution and deforestation, and the shattering of the indigenous people's cultures. In recent years, Save America's Forests helped lead an international coalition of environmental advocates, scientists, and indigenous peoples in a successful campaign that stopped the Brazilian national oil giant, Petrobras, from constructing an oil road and facilities in the heart of Yasuní National Park. We also participated in the process of delimiting a large portion of Yasuní National Park and adjacent Waorani Reserve that are now off-limits to all extractive development. Yasuní Green Gold will not

only help bring the world's attention to this ecological jewel, but will serve as an educational tool and catalyst for worldwide efforts to save this region and its cultural and biological heritage”.

Matt Finer and Carl Ross.

Save America’s Forests. USA.

Carl Ross. Save America’s Forests. USA

2008-09-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

“Yasuní Green Gold marvelously illustrates the major components of the overall drama playing out in Yasuni, from the extraordinary and unique indigenous peoples and biodiversity of the region, to the threats posed by oil activities, and an overview of the resistance movements fighting to stop the destruction of the environment and the loss of human rights. The first decades of initial missionary contact with the Waorani and by oil development in Yasuní led to devastating pollution and deforestation, and the shattering of the indigenous people's cultures. In recent years, Save America's Forests helped lead an international coalition of environmental advocates, scientists, and indigenous peoples in a successful campaign that stopped the Brazilian national oil giant, Petrobras, from constructing an oil road and facilities in the heart of Yasuní National Park. We also participated in the process of delimiting a large portion of Yasuní National Park and adjacent Waorani Reserve that are now off-limits to all extractive development. Yasuní Green Gold will not

only help bring the world's attention to this ecological jewel, but will serve as an educational tool and catalyst for worldwide efforts to save this region and its cultural and biological heritage”.

Carl Ross and Matt Finer.

Save America’s Forests. USA.

Nick Caistor. Journalist and boradcaster specializing in Latin America.

2008-09-01T09:30:00.002-07:00

'Yasuni Green Gold is an important project that aims to help save one of the most valuable regions of Latin America. The Yasuni region in the Ecuadorian Amazon is home to several indigenous nations, including groups which have chosen to remain isolated from the rest of the world. It is also one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, with a unique ecological system. But now, this fragile world is coming under threat from international oil companies, who see the Yasuni area

as nothing more than a source of profit. I hope that like many other groups and individuals, you will support the Yasuni Green Gold project and protect one of the last unspoilt regions of the world.'

Nick Caistor

Journalist and boradcaster specializing in Latin America.

Ramon Bartomeus. Resources Manager. Iwith Foundation, Spain.

2008-09-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

“When a year and a half ago Ginés Haro began talking to us about ‘Global Challenges and Global Citizens’ we decided that the movement deserved the support of Iwith.org, and since then we have had the privilege of collaborating with a team characterised by tenacity and exquisite good doing. Now, with the introduction of the Yasuní Green Gold, its success has become one of our most outstanding causes.

Beyond the close history with the project, the conservation of the Yasuní cannot see itself as just one more cause that we help to defend, but as a question of planetary importance, of vital transcendence for the generations that will follow us.

Nobody should think that it is just a question for Ecuadorian or the Amazon, so using communication and IT technologies and the words of the Idún movement, we are going to do whatever possible to ‘inspire, educate and support people and organizations so that they may adopt and promote new forms of individual and collective behaviour with the end that everybody on our planet can enjoy a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.’ ”

Ramon Bartomeus

Resources Manager. Iwith Foundation, Spain.

Amy L. Mertl. Biology Department. Boston University, USA.

2008-09-01T09:29:00.002-07:00

"The word Yasuní brings a flood of physical memories. A cacophony of bird and insect calls at dawn, the touch of warm rain, the sweet, fuzzy taste of fresh Inga fruits, the scent of jungle steam rising under the hot sun. And green, the deepest and densest green imaginable, as far as the eye can see.

As a scientist, I can easily list the values of the Yasuní ecosystem: extraordinary biodiversity, a role in maintaining climate cycles and soil, potential as a source of medications, and an enormous wealth of research possibilities. For an entomologist like me, Yasuní is a taxonomic treasure trove. Invertebrates make up an estimated 90% of the areas biodiversity; I can barely take a step without observing a new species. Millions of year of evolution have shaped Yasuní into a complex web of life which we as humans are now unraveling bit by bit, without knowing the potentially devastating consequences.

Yasuní has forever changed my life, and it affects the life of every human being that experiences it. The air is richer, the sounds, sights and smells are more vibrant, more real then anywhere else I have ever been. I speak as an outsider, having spent les s than a year inside this pristine forest. I can only imagine the passion with which the native residents of Yasuní must love their land, and I strongly support their efforts to protect it. As scientists, as citizens, and as human beings, we must protect the unique biodiversity and spirit of Yasuní National Park. We can not afford to lose this fight."

Amy L. Mertl

Biology Department. Boston University, USA.

Antonio Romero Romero. Social Psychology of Conflict and Interpersonal Relations, University of Granada, Spain.

2008-09-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

A few decades ago, one exceptional Latin American, the archbishop of San Salvador, Monseñor Romero, before being knocked down by the bullets of a death squad from this country, advocated that

'Those of us who have a voice should speak on behalf of those who do not have one'.

On this occasion the battle now being fought by other exceptional Latin Americans (the indigenous people of the Orellana region) is that to preserve their way of life, which is being directly threatened by all too familiar acts of genocide, which over time are usually connected with the actions of multinationals, which is why their fight merits our commitment and solidarity.

For this reason, I support campaigns such as the Yasuni Oro Verde. Their battle should be our battle, the existence of these people and their environment does not stop being the heritage of all humanity!”

Antonio Romero Romero

Social Psychology of Conflict and Interpersonal Relations, University of Granada, Spain.

Jose Maria Tortosa. Sociology professor, Catedrático de Sociología. Instituto de Desarrollo Social y Paz, Universidad de Alicante

2008-09-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

"Another world is possible, but it doesn't mean it will be easy to achieve.Conserving Yasuní National Park is not only important in order to protect the native people living there, nor simply to save the immense biodiversity which it protects.. It is important becasue it could signify a change to a time where, in order to assure the survival of the species one is brave enough to change the rules of the game. The Yasuní is a matter that concerns all of us and that is why we all have to do something to protect it. Campaigns such as "Yasuni Oro Verde-Yasuni Green Gold"-are necessary for the conservation of the Yasuni and this is why I support it. It will not be easy, but we have to do it."

Jose Maria Tortosa

Sociology professor, Catedrático de Sociología. Instituto de Desarrollo Social y Paz, Universidad de Alicante

Willian F. Laurance. Senior Staff Scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama and Former President, Association for Tropical Biology an

2008-09-01T09:27:00.002-07:00

"Yasuni is a true jewel of nature, and represents some of the most biologically important real estate on the planet. Allowing it to be degraded and diminished would be an international travesty. I am

proud to stand with those who have declared that 'enough is enough'. Yasuni must forever be protected”.

Willian F. Laurance.

Senior Staff Scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama and Former President, Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

Richard E. Bilsborrow, Carolina Population Center and Curriculum in Ecology, USA

2008-09-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This extraordinary place – probably the richest zone of biodiversity on the planet –escaped the last Ice Age, becoming a refuge for species of flora and fauna and a centre for the evolution of new species.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life.

That is why it is vital that we protect Yasuni now; it is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."

Richard E. Bilsborrow

Carolina Population Center and Curriculum in Ecology, USA

Salvador Garcia, University of Barcelona, Spain and founder of Eutopia-Consultores Sin Fronteras (Utopia-Consultants without Borders)

2008-09-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This extraordinary place – probably the richest zone of biodiversity on the planet –escaped the last Ice Age, becoming a refuge for species of flora and fauna and a centre for the evolution of new species.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life.

That is why it is vital that we protect Yasuni now; it is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."
Salvador Garcia, Phd.

University of Barcelona, Spain and founder of Eutopia-Consultores Sin Fronteras (Utopia-Consultants without Borders)

Dionisios Youlatos. Department of Zoology. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki .Greece

2008-09-01T09:25:00.002-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This extraordinary place – probably the richest zone of biodiversity on the planet –escaped the last Ice Age, becoming a refuge for species of flora and fauna and a centre for the evolution of new species.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life.

That is why it is vital that we protect Yasuni now; it is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."

Dionisios Youlatos
Department of Zoology. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki .Greece

Augusto Padua, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Brasil

2008-09-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This extraordinary place – probably the richest zone of biodiversity on the planet –escaped the last Ice Age, becoming a refuge for species of flora and fauna and a centre for the evolution of new species.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life.

That is why it is vital that we protect Yasuni now; it is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."

Augusto Padua

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Brasil

Paul Fine, Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, USA

2008-09-01T09:24:00.001-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This is a extraordinary place, probably one of the richest hotspot of biodiversity on the planet. Yasuní National Park is a world treasure, harboring an extraordinarily diverse assemblage of plant and animal species such as is an important asset for Ecuadorian and international students and scientists.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life. The indigenous communities that reside there have a right to participate in the decision-making process, as they more than anyone will suffer the consequences of massive gas and oil development.

That is why it is vital that we protect Yasuni now. It is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."

Paul Fine

Department of Integrative Biology, Berkeley, USA

Terry L. Erwin, Curator of coleoptera and Head of Departament of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

2008-09-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

"Ecuador's Yasuni Park, set up 1979, became a UNESCO World Biosphere in 1989. This extraordinary place – probably the richest zone of biodiversity on the planet –escaped the last Ice Age, becoming a refuge for species of flora and fauna and a centre for the evolution of new species. Each of my two hectare study plots (Onkone Gare & Tiputini) have more than 100,000 species of arthropods. The area is truly the most species-rich site known on the planet.

Yasuni is home to three indigenous nationalities: Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani who still conserve their ancient culture and traditions. It is also the land of Tagaeria, Taromenane and Oñamenane people who have chosen to live in isolation from the outside world.

But Yasuni is not only rich in people, animals and plants: there are vast oil deposits below its soil. Oil exploration has already damaged the delicate balance of the forest and threatens to destroy the indigenous people's way of life.

that is why it is vital that we protect the Yasuni now; it is vital we support projects such as Yasuni Green Gold. Many groups and individuals are working together to save the forest and to let the world know before it is too late. I hope you will join us."

Terry L. Erwin

Curator of coleoptera and Head of Departament of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

Carlos Larrea. Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador. Advisor on the ITT proposal.

2008-09-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

"This book "Yasuni Green Gold" leads us to the Yasuni Park, using the attractive and concrete language of art and photography. Yasuni's amazing natural endowment and people, their conflicts and expectations are beautifully presented. The short albeit concise text explains the conflicts, contradictions and hopes of the Park and its peoples, and their global significance."

Carlos Larrea.

Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador. Advisor on the ITT proposal.

Federation of the Campesino Organisations of Orellana, Ecuador. (FOCAO)

2008-09-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

"Both the indigenous peoples and peasant, today recognised as individual nationalities, and all Ecuadorians, are people of peace, who strive for peace, and who want to live in peace. All these nationalities do not just strive for improvement, but we do it also for national and international interests.

The Yasuní and the Ecuadorian Amazon are of great importance. In 1979 it was declared a National Park of Ecuador, and ten years later a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Many scientists also consider it to be the most bio-diverse area of the world. In the Yasuní three indigenous nationalities coexist, the Waorani, Kichwa, and Shaur. However, everything is under threat because there is oil which lies underneath in the subsoil.

Economic growth, as a way of emerging from poverty and protecting an ecosystem will never be a real solution whilst this process of growth is not separated from the death of natural resources, from environmental contamination and the destruction of our cultures and people.

The indigenous people and peasants of the Amazon have their own proposals for conservation, change and sustainable development, but there remain people and sectors who do not want to accept this. Making these proposals known on an international level and looking for support in order that they might carry them out is a positive thing for everybody. Because of this I support campaigns such as ‘Yasuní Green Gold’.

Federation of the Campesino Organisations of Orellana, Ecuador. (FOCAO)

Lourdes Tiban,Secretary of State for Indigenous People (CODENPE, Council for Development of Nationalities and Peoples of Ecuador )

2008-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

"The people and Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, and of the world, have always been the ‘pachakamas of biodiversity’ (day by day those who responsibly look after their biodiversity). Even more so recently, as we have begun to listen to everything that persuades us to focus on looking after biodiversity with greater responsibility, not just to face up to the greatly increasing change in climate, but also because it is our obligation to work towards ensuring a safe life for both the present and future generations.

For the CODENPE, looking after, defending and strengthening the ‘Yasuní Green Gold’ proposal by way of an international promotion campaign of the Yasuní National Park is one of the greatest ways to spread awareness locally, nationally and internationally. This is of importance especially regarding institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations and those dedicated to the extraction of natural resources, who don’t realise that the Yasuní Park is not just green, but also has a great number of rare plants and is a shared and common forest. The fact that this forest is utterly unique in the world must be made aware and spread, not just because it harbours the greatest number of tree species per hectare in the world, and moreover that within this green territory there live indigenous nationalities such as the Huaoranis, the Shur, the Kichwas and other self-defined groups.

We hope that the campaign to spread the name of the ‘Yasuní Green Gold’ may permit a reduction in the impacts of damaging activities such as deforestation, contamination, extinction of species, destruction of our social fabric, but that principally it might avoid the destruction and extinction of ancestral cultures and forms of human life which are the basis for this struggle, and that it might ask for recognition under the political thesis of Plurinationality from the Political Constitution of the State".

Lourdes Tiban

Secretary of State for Indigenous People (CODENPE, Council for Development of Nationalities and Peoples of Ecuador )

Rosa C Alvarado, Human Rights Commite of Orellana, Ecuador

2008-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

"Both the indigenous peoples, today recognised as individual nationalities, and all Ecuadorians, are people of peace, who strive for peace, and who want to live in peace. All these nationalities do not just strive for improvement, but we do it also for national and international interests.

The Yasuní and the Ecuadorian Amazon are of great importance. In 1979 it was declared a National Park of Ecuador, and ten years later a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Many scientists also consider it to be the most bio-diverse area of the world. In the Yasuní three indigenous nationalities coexist, the Waorani, Kichwa, and Shaur. However, everything is under threat because there is oil which lies underneath in the subsoil.

Economic growth, as a way of emerging from poverty and protecting an ecosystem will never be a real solution whilst this process of growth is not separated from the death of natural resources, from environmental contamination and the destruction of our cultures and people.

The indigenous people of the Amazon have their own proposals for conservation, change and sustainable development, but there remain people and sectors who do not want to accept this. Making these proposals known on an international level and looking for support in order that they might carry them out is a positive thing for everybody. Because of this I support campaigns such as ‘Yasuní Green Gold’.

Rosa C Alvarado

Human Rights Commite of Orellana, Ecuador

Anita Carolina Rivas Párraga. Mayor, "Municipio de Francisco de Orellana". Ecuador

2008-09-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

"The current government’s announcement to keep the crude oil beneath the ITT petrol fields in the Yasuní Park territory was received in Ecuador with both hope and happiness. It is an offer supported by progressive representatives who have worked in the country for years in the hope of achieving a political impact, to link the aspirations of those of us who construct spaces of peaceful resistance in defence of the environment and social and economic rights of all the peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon, from our own day to day coexistence with the terrible consequences of the exploitation of oil.

There are many arguments in favour of the maintenance of the oil in the Yasuní Park below the ground. If we achieve this, not only will we conserve an enormously diverse area, home to the Tagaeri and the Taromenane, but also we will become a universal symbol that a new world is possible. It really is. The success of the defense of the Yasuní will be a milestone in overcoming the challenge which humanity has in thwarting the effects of climate change.

It is very difficult for a government to maintain a conservation proposal of this magnitude. Great contradictions have already been emphasized, like the promotion of the multimodal corridor between Manta and Manaos, which could convert the river Napo into a motorway for flatboats and container ships destined for trade between Brazil and China, only a few kilometers away from the Yasuní Park".

This book which we present to you with the wonders and complexities of our territory, and is born from the support of many representatives from around the world, is like the point of the end of a palm leaf, which began its journey without return, sure of achieving its objective. We believe in the value of this dream which we all share in order to maintain the Yasuní Green Gold.

Anita Carolina Rivas Párraga

Mayor, "Municipio de Francisco de Orellana". Ecuador.

Jane Goodall, Primatologist andFounder of Jane Goodall Institute.

2008-09-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

"The cooperative efforts of Yasuni Green Gold and Movimiento Idun to preserve the biodiversity and indigenous cultures of the Yasuni in Ecuador's Amazon region should be commended and supported by everyone who calls this planet home. The variety of remarkable species found only in the Yasuni -- from people and animals to vegetation – are unlike any other, anywhere on earth. To destroy the Yasuni is to destroy our past and our future. If we turn a blind eye and refuse to do something -- right now -- to preserve this pristine environment, we will be robbing ourselves and our youth. After readers pick up this wonderful book, set their eyes on its glorious photographs and learn more about the Yasuni -- its majesty and its troubles -- I am certain they will be inspired to do all that is possible to save this most precious resource."

Jane Goodall
Primatologist andFounder of Jane Goodall Institute.