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!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Jordi Llopart. United Nations Millennium Campaign. New York. US
"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.
“…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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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
“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
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
“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
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
“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
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
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