(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Mayor Anita Rivas from the city of Coca, barely three hours from the reality village of Bameno, where the series The Great Journey was filmed, even has Native American background. She is in Europe to gather political support for the proposal to protect the rainforest in the area from oil recovery.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa made a proposal last year to put the oil under Yasuní National Park, where the Waorani Indians' territories are located. In return, the country requires around 350 million dollars in international contributions per year over a ten-year period.
- Our argument is that 350 million dollars a year for ten years is not that much money when we put it into the big picture. You need to look at the climate impact of the measure. If the oil industry enters our areas and destroys nature, there is no question of an effect that passes after ten years. Then there is a destruction that is forever, Rivas says to Ny Tid on the phone from London.
- Do you expect to get some of this money locally?
- The Native American population I represent is poor, and we also do not make up more than 20 percent of those who live in the affected area. We pay little attention to the tax revenues that the government distributes, and I myself am not very concerned about the money either. If some projects are carried out with us, it is fine, but the most important thing is to save nature. It will in itself mean better health for our people, and it will mean that we can continue to live the life we know.
Want international pressure
Rivas will meet a number of British parliamentarians, as well as representatives of the British government, in connection with the European tour. She says that oil recovery has already led to conflicts in the national park, as well as pollution of water and land.
- We also fear the petroleum industry because the oil found here is heavier than much other oil, it contains more dangerous chemicals and it is more difficult to extract. We are concerned with our way of life, with survival. We are not sitting in the jungle counting money, and we have not started this campaign at all to try to get rich, she says.
Locals have so far received no guarantees that financial contributions from abroad will save the area from oil drilling in the future. Rivas wants to ensure that indigenous people also participate in the decision-making process.
- The government of Ecuador will not give us any kind of guarantees, that is our problem. We are not heard at all, which is why we are now traveling to try to get help elsewhere. Donor countries must negotiate with the government in Ecuador about this, says Rivas.
The lukewarm reception
To date, the proposal to pay for the oil to remain on the ground has received a lukewarm reception among potential donor countries. Georgina Donanti of the Yasuní Green Gold campaign in London believes this is because the Ecuadorian government has so far been too vague in its statements.
- The proposal is not concrete enough, and has not involved the local population. We want guarantees that the money will go into local projects, she says.
Norway is among the countries that have been most positive, along with Germany and Spain. Environment and Development Minister Erik Solheim discussed the matter with President Correa during his Ecuador visit last year.
- Today, there are no economic incentives for countries not to destroy the rainforest. We are open to discussing the possibility of an international fund that can contribute to this, Solheim said at the time, according to the government's website.
Nevertheless, no representatives of the Norwegian embassy were present when the campaign was launched in London, despite the fact that the embassy was invited.
