At the bidding of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, pristine old growth rainforests and indigenous ancestral lands of the Ecuadorian Amazon are now being carved up into massive oil concessions. Thirty years of oil production have trapped Ecuador in a downward spiral of debt and dependency, yet the government must boost oil revenues to service the considerable external debt owed to Northern creditors. U.S. oil companies are at the head of the charge to supply U.S. markets with dirty Amazon crude. Amazon Watch is working throughout the Ecuadorian Amazon to support indigenous and environmental groups in their fight to beat back oil expansion.

Active campaigns:

• Save the Yasuni Rainforest (2007)
  For more than three decades, oil has been a mainstay of the Ecuadorian economy. The result has been widespread pollution, while failing to lift millions of Ecuadorians out of poverty. Now, the Ecuadorian government's offer to forgo oil development in the ITT portion of Yasuni would be a giant first step towards breaking Ecuador's dependence on oil. This proposal recognizes natural resource conservation and alternative energy, instead of oil extraction, as the sustainable source of Ecuador's national wealth. In exchange for keeping the crude oil in the ground, the Ecuadorian government has asked for compensation of $350 million a year for 10 years. It has signaled its willingness to consider placing the funds in a financial trust that could be structured to include international co-administration. These funds would be allocated towards environmental and social development programs, helping Ecuador move towards a sustainable economy while preserving the rainforest, and recognizing the rights of indigenous communities in Yasuni. Amazon Watch supports the ITT proposal, joining forces with local and international groups in a campaign to keep the crude in the ground and save Yasuni.    go >>
  
  
• The Chevron Toxic Legacy (2006)
  Thirty years of reckless oil development by ChevronTexaco has taken a devastating toll on Ecuador´s northern Amazon forest communities and ecosystems. Amazon Watch has joined with local affected communities to demand that ChevronTexaco clean up its trail of toxic destruction and pay reparations to devastated communities.    go >>
  
  
• ConocoPhillips Oil Projects vs. Indigenous Communities in the Amazon (2006)
  ConocoPhillips, with its acquisition of Burlington Resources in March 2006, now holds a 100% share in Block 24 and a 50% share in Block 23. According to ConocoPhillips statements at the company's 2006 annual meeting, both blocks are currently 'under review'. ConocoPhillips is at a crossroads: will it choose a path of environmental and social responsibility or will it move forward against the wishes of indigenous peoples in one of the most important and pristine ecosystems in the world? Amazon Watch has worked closely with the Shuar, Achuar, and Kichwa of the southern Ecuadorian Amazon since 2000 in their struggle to keep the oil industry off their ancestral lands. During that time, representative organizations of these three indigenous peoples have won significant victories. Since 1998, three companies -- ARCO, Argentine company CGC, and Burlington Resources -- have each been unable to move forward with oil drilling plans in Block 23 and 24 due to a powerful alliance of steadfast opposition from the local communities and organized international pressure.    go >>
  
  

Mega project archive:

• Amazon Oil Expansion and the OCP Pipeline (2003)
  In complete disregard for widespread and adamant opposition, the Ecuadorian government has permitted a consortium of oil companies to build a new crude oil pipeline known as the OCP. The 300-mile pipeline would run from the Amazon, over the Andes, to the Pacific Coast. To fill the OCP, Ecuador intends to double oil production by expanding development into national parks and indigenous territories in the Amazon. The majority of this crude is destined for refineries in the United States. Amazon Watch works to support local groups resisting the OCP pipeline and new oil concessions in Amazon frontiers.    go >>