One of the promoters of the vote that protected the great natural reserve of Ecuador: “The money that the people need is not in the Yasuní but in the pockets of the rich”

In August 2023, an environmental milestone occurred in Ecuador. In a historic popular consultation, 59% of Ecuadorians voted in favor of ending oil exploitation in the Yasuní National Park, the largest protected area in Ecuador (more than one million hectares in the northeastern Amazon) and one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity per square meter on the planet.

The lack of protection of this biosphere reserve began its countdown in 2013, when the then president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, announced the cancellation of a project that sought to keep the existing oil underground in an area called block 43, home of the last indigenous groups in isolation in the Latin American country. It was then that the environmental collective Yasunidos, formed a decade ago by eight young university students, decided to stand up to the Government, the powerful oil sector and even organized crime. He finally achieved it six months ago, after numerous legal obstacles, winning in a consultation that could set precedents for other countries.

However, once the referendum was won, the state oil company, Petroecuador, defended the importance of oil extraction. through a report in which he assured that this activity “contributes approximately 1,200 million dollars (1,102 million euros) to the general budget of the State.”

Fernando Muñoz, (Quito, 32 years old), one of those young people who promoted the consultation, has been awarded the Advancing the Just Transition award from the Ecology and Development Foundation (Ecodes), in the Latin American category. He collected the award in Zaragoza last December and, while passing through Madrid, he recalled in an interview with this newspaper that his fight has not ended and it is necessary to ensure that the popular will is fulfilled. “The intentions to ignore the consultation, accompanied by the lack of government transparency, are very present,” he warns.

Ask. The popular consultation to protect the Yasuní obtained 59% of the votes. Did you expect this victory?

Answer. To be honest, no. At some point we said that we would win with a fair 50%, but it was by almost six million votes. It was something enormous, but we did not win the consultation, it is a victory for the Ecuadorian people.

It is the first time in the history of the world that a consultation is held where people decide on the management of their natural resources, but it is also the first time that oil wells that are still active have to be closed.

Q. What strategies did they use to win?

R. The State constantly says in its propaganda that Ecuador is in crisis, that there is no money. And yes there is. The money is held by those who are not paying taxes. So we launched into talking about tax justice and demonstrated that the 4,000 million dollars (3,700 million euros) that the Government said we were going to lose in 30 years of exploitation until the license ran out in 2055, was not [una cifra] true. We show that, in a single year, in 2021, the Government decided to forgive debts to the most powerful businessmen with 6.3 billion dollars (almost 6 billion euros), that is, 2.5 billion more. More was lost in one year than was to be gained in 30 years of oil extraction. We return to a slogan that we have said since our foundation: the money that the Ecuadorian people need is not in the Yasuní, but in the pockets of the rich.

Q. Organized crime is currently plaguing Ecuador. Did it affect the campaign?

R. Of the 24 provinces that Ecuador has, we were only unable to enter two. In Esmeraldas we had a very strong campaign with the support of peasant organizations and the Association of Affected People of the Refinery, but they told us that they did not commit to holding large rallies because they received death threats. And in Los Ríos we could not enter because from the beginning we received threats of vaccineswhich are the quotas or toll that organized crime requests to enter certain territories.

We are not going to get out of oil with mining; both things are perverse in different ways.

Q. Six months have passed since the consultation, what has happened since then?

R. It has been just as difficult. Although it is a mandatory consultation, it depends a lot on political will. Former president Guillermo Lasso said yes, it was going to be fulfilled. But then he had a secret meeting and they recorded him saying that he was not going to lift a finger to speed up the process. We were able to leak that information, to the point that it had to be retracted, because from the first day they tried to annul the entire consultation with the argument that “people are not informed.” Only to not recognize the people's decision.

Q. According to the Constitutional Court ruling, After the consultation, the State will have a maximum of 18 months to stop exploitation and will not be able to initiate contracts to continue extractions.

R. We are aware that the dismantling process may be prolonged. It is the first time in the history of the world that a consultation is held where people decide on the management of their natural resources, but it is also the first time that oil wells that are still active have to be closed. You have to be very careful not to cause an environmental disaster.

Q. What worries you most?

R. The latest report from the state oil company, Petroecuador, shows that the last field that began to be exploited (Ishpingo) has intensely increased its exploitation. Apparently, they are wanting to get as much as possible before closing. Three new drillings have also been reported, and that is why we have requested access to public information to verify if they are previous contracts, as required by the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

Q. And what is the position of the current president, Daniel Noboa?

R. In the presidential campaign he was the first to say “Yes to Yasuní.” His argument was: “I was an investor in the oil sector, I know it is a bad business.” However, in the second round, they asked him how he was going to resolve the fiscal gap and he responded: “With mining.” For us it is inconceivable. We are not going to get out of oil with mining; both things are perverse in different ways.

Q. Oil finances a large part of the state budget and according to a report of the Central Bank of Ecuador, more than 107,000 jobs would be lost due to the closure of the Yasuní oil block until 2025. What other alternatives for economic activities do they propose?

R. Community tourism, redistribution and tax justice. That's what we aim for.

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