VICTORY: Oil Roads Kept Out of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park
In a huge victory for the rainforest movement, plans to violate Ecuador's Yasuni National Park with an oil access road have been cancelled. The road would have lead to widespread destruction of one of the most important rainforest reserves in the world. Instead, oil drilling and production will continue without roads and the deleterious impact of follow-on colonization upon biodiversity and indigenous populations may be limited. More work remains to be done to fully protect Yasuni, Ecuador's rainforests, and the Amazon; and the local Hauorani peoples, but this is a massive improvement upon previous plans which would have certainly devastated the entire area. Now there is hope.
This is a major triumph for Ecological Internet which was the first to bring the threat to a wide international audience through three different massive email protests, most recently in September of 2005. Other groups we worked with that also provided critical leadership included Save America's Forests, Rainforest Rescue of Germany, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, and many other organizations which rallied and provided crucial leadership in country.
If I sound excited it is because I am. Unlike recent Brazilian victories where Ecological Internet played a supportive role, and the perhaps fleeting recent positive news for Indonesia's rainforests and orangutans, this victory is substantially a result of our sustained international campaign and our network participants having sent hundreds of thousands of protest emails. On a shoestring budget our loose network of Earth protectors is regularly achieving conservation victories!
Today we set a precedent that oil access roads through primary rainforests are unacceptable. Again, take a moment and reflect upon having done good work for rainforests and the planet. Then get back to work saving the Earth - starting with these current alerts!
Comments
WELL DONE, Glen! BRAVO!
Regards,
Kim
Posted by: Kim | April 25, 2006 12:53 AM
Congratulations Glen. Your hard work is paying off.
Thanks.
Jan
Posted by: Jan Vandersloot | April 25, 2006 2:24 AM
So good to get some good news like this.
Congratulations Glen.
Judith
Posted by: Judith Topham | April 25, 2006 2:49 AM
Well done brother, keep it up.
Steve
Posted by: Stephen Lunn | April 25, 2006 7:28 AM
CONGRATULATION about GRAND RAINFOREST VICTORY
Your Honour Sir GlenBarry,
The world need s people likes you. You deserve
NOBLE PRISE! May u live long and happy for what you
are achieving like a Roman Gladitor Spartacus!
Dhanjisha.
Posted by: Dhanjisha | April 25, 2006 7:42 AM
Well done! You all deserve a pat on the back. I am sure all the animals would give you a big hug if they could understand just what you have done.
Posted by: Carole Holt | April 25, 2006 2:06 PM
THANKS BARRY FOR THESE GREAT GOOD NEWS!!! IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT I SEARCH AND SEARCH HERE AND GET NO NEWS AS THIS (ABOUT PETROBRAS...) IN OUR LOCAL PRESS!!! AM REALLY HAPPY AND JUST HOPE TO CONTINUE HAVING THE CHANCE TO HELP YOU AND ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO HAVE THE RIGHT THINGS DONE IN THIS EARTH OF OURS!
A BIT LATE BUT SENDING YOU MY GREETINGS FOR EARTH´S DAY!!! BRAZILIAN TREE/FOREST/WILD/ALLLOVINGTHINGS HUGS, AGNES C.
Posted by: Agnes | April 25, 2006 5:03 PM
Glen:
I just finished helping one of my students do a project on
Francisco Pizarro. It is amazing to see how the imperialist
mentality forges along from one generation to the next,
seemingly oblivious to the consequences of its actions. In
a related article ("The Lost City of Z", The New Yorker,
September 2005), David Grann brings us full circle in his
quest for the remnants of an explorer of 1927 named
Colonel Fawcett who ventured into the Amazon in search
of the rumored ancient Indian civilization. He finds isolated
villages in remote corners of the forest with a solitary television
broadcasting Disney cartoons.
Your hard work is helping to change the way in which people
of powerful and rich nations perceive others of lesser stature.
We need to respect the right of everyone to live as they
choose, and we need to protect our earth from the ravages
of greed. We don't have a lot of time left, but there is always hope.
Thank YOU, Glen.,
Kim
Posted by: Kim Hahn | April 25, 2006 5:53 PM
Great 'shoestring' victory!
But in this part of the world were a human ( esp of the indigenas) life is of little or no value led by mainly the descendants of the Caucasians (I also belong to this etnic group) the capitalistic forces of the civilised world will continue to be a threat to nature.
So Glen will continue to monitor the onslaught of our trees around the world around the clock.
Onces more heep heep hurrhae
Posted by: Marc Sommer | April 25, 2006 6:56 PM
Congrats!! At least all those efforts and voices are reaping some success. It' worth it.
Posted by: Erlinda | April 26, 2006 6:05 AM
Dear Glen,
Congratulations for Ecological Internet's success!
I usually forward your alerts to friends (and people sensible to environmental issues), but I realize that, in my case (as it may happen more often), the greatest constraint to the spread of the messages is that the majority of those in my mailing list do not know English well enough to endeavour in taking action, and/or further forward the alert.
I myself have not much time to dedicate to it and am not that smart with computer....
Would you advise to forward the alert with a translated (into Italian) summary and instructions? And ask people for whether they want actually be included in my mailing list? Or....whatever advice from you is welcome! Just TIME is my greatest contraint!
All the best
Carlo Castellani
Posted by: Carlo Castellani | April 26, 2006 9:00 AM
Glen,
Just afew words to say a small thanks (on behalf of mankind) for all your time
and effort. I'm a secondary school teacher in the Midlands (UK) and lead the
school Environmental Group. I also have a strong personal interest in what what
goes on/ where we're heading! I try (amidst a hectic schedule) to sign up and
do a bit when I can. Your efforts are really making a difference to the future
picture - you probably don't get too much good news but what you are doing is
appreciated by many more people than you probably think.Cheers, keep it up.
Paul Gray
Posted by: Paul Gray | April 26, 2006 9:04 AM
Well Done Glen and everyone who helped. Ecuador in particular La Selva are amongst my favourite places in the world. I'm a photographer and last time I visited the area in question could see the oil gradualy taking over. So wonderful that this is helping to halt the destruction of wonderful forest!
Jeanna
Posted by: Jeanna Nash | May 2, 2006 5:08 AM
According to the Ecuadorian media, there was a massacre this week of 30 Huaorani women outside of Yasuni, presumably at the hands of loggers, in retaliation for an easter confrontation between loggers and the Huaorani opposing logging on their ancestral lands.
I have seen nothing on the international media as yet, but here are the links from Ecuador
http://www.hoy.com.ec/Noticianue.asp?row_id=233321
http://www.hoy.com.ec/Noticianue.asp?row_id=233336#10
Posted by: Andrea | May 12, 2006 6:23 PM
Thank you for your incredible site which made these victories possible! Thank you for helping to save the Natural World!
Posted by: Elaine Charkowski | January 12, 2007 11:32 PM