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IPFS News Link • Environment

Ecuador Set To Sell One Third Of Pristine Rainforest To Chinese Oil Companies

• http://www.trueactivist.com

In a move that could simultaneously ease the debt of Ecuador and deliver a huge blow to rainforest conservation efforts, Ecuador is set to auction off one third of their pristine rainforest, 3 million hectares of their 8.1 million, to Chinese oil companies.

Ecuador has pursued this deal for several years now, and recently seems to have been finalizing the deal as they publicized the bidding process in the last few weeks on a roadshow in several nations. The process includes Ecuadorean politicians pitching bidding contracts to possible buyers from Chinese oil companies.

If the Chinese follow through with their deal, it would violate a clause they agreed upon recently in their new investment guidelines. The clause states that China, known for its terrible exploitation of land, "promote harmonious development of local economy, environment and community" when pursuing new enterprises abroad.

The development is anything but harmonious, with up to seven indigenous groups protesting and condemning the new deal, which they claim they have not approved. According to Axis Logic, a court ruling was decided last year that stated that the government must obtain "free, prior, and informed consent" from indigenous groups for any upcoming projects that involve the environment.

Narcisa Mashienta, a women's leader of the native Shuar people, said that, "They have not consulted us, and we're here to tell the big investors that they don't have our permission to exploit our land."


 


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