The Kichwa people of Sarayaku, who were appointed legal owners of their ancestral territory in 1992, strongly opposed the Block 23 oil exploitation project presented in 1996. They launched a campaign, supported by environmentalists and local associations, against the new extraction facilities to be built by General Company of Combustibles (CGC). Back in the 1930s, Shell settled in that very area triggering Sarayacu peoples resistance to oil extraction for the first time. In the following years, several oil companies tried to follow Shell in exploiting the Kichwa ancestral territories: U.S Company Western Amoco in 1970, ldela Arco Oriente in 1989, and Argentinean CGC in 1996. During the communication campaign about the oil exploitation project in 2001 with the communities, the Kichwa people from Sarayacu strongly expressed their opposition. However in 2002 the oil company started its explorations, coupled with the militarization of the territory. The Kichwa’s activism against the project was criminalized. Still Association of the Kichwa Peoples from Sarakayu together with the CEJIL and the CDES achieved international media attention when in 2003 they presented a petition to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) denouncing the Ecuadorian State prejudice of the Kichwa people from Sarayacu. The CIDH finally ruled in favor of the Kichwa people in June 2012, recognizing that the Ecuadorian State violated the indigenous peoples’ right to prior consultation. The Government had to present public excuses. Since 2015 the Amazon blocks 74 and 75 are the new targets for oil exploitation, placing a new threat upon the Sarayacu’s territory integrity. |
In 2012, after the Kichwa peoples petition, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights prevented oil exploitation to happen in Block 23.
| Name of conflict: | Sarayaku - Oil extraction in Block 23, Ecuador |
| Country: | Ecuador |
| State or province: | Pastaza |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction Transport infrastructure networks (roads, railways, hydroways, canals and pipelines) |
| Specific commodities: | Crude oil |
| Project details | 1.5 tons of explosive located in 465 different spots left by the Argentinean oil company CGC between 2002 and 2003. |
| Project area: | 200000 |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Start of the conflict: | 1996 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Petroecuador from Ecuador Walsh Ecuador from Ecuador DAYMI Services from Argentina General Company of Combustibles (CGC ) from Argentina Petroamazonas Ecuador SA (Petroamazonas) from Ecuador - currently exploirating blocks 74 and 75 |
| Relevant government actors: | Ministerio de Minas y Petrleo - Ecuador Government, CIDH - USA |
| International and Finance Institutions | UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Consejo del gobierno de Sarayacu, Accion Ecolgica, CONAIE, OPIP, Sarayaku Residents Association, Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES), Amnesty International, Oilwatch - Nigeria, Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL) - USA |
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities Informal workers International ejos Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Women |
| Forms of mobilization: | Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality Potential: Air pollution, Food insecurity (crop damage), Global warming, Noise pollution, Soil erosion, Groundwater pollution or depletion |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Occupational disease and accidents, Deaths Potential: Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..) |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place Potential: Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment |
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Criminalization of activists Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Repression New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Respect of indigenous, territory and collective rights, "Que nos dejen vivir en paz" (" Let us live alone") Defending Kichwa's way of living which implies the respect of the whole rainforest integrity. Patricia Gualinga, Kichwa Leader [1] |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
| Briefly explain: | The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) ordered CGC to suspend all extraction activities in 2004, and in 2009 the company was told to remove the explosives located in the native territory. |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Other comments: | Petition to the Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos CIDH, Pueblo Indigena Kichwa de Sarayaku ( case number 12.465) vs. the State of Ecuador |
| Contributor: | Lucie Greyl |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 458 |