The Achuar federation (NAE) finally has received legal recognition for almost all the Achuar ancestral lands, after many years of demanding that the central Ecuadorian government respect their lands and their collective rights acknowledged by the Constitution.
On February 25, 2010 NAE attained the titling of some of the last territories yet to be officially recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture: Nuevo Sasaim, Wachirpas and Mashuim, totaling 40,300 hectares. This is an important advancement in the process of receiving titles for all of the Achuar Nationality, leaving only two more communities: Tinkias and Yutsuntza.
The Achuar do not consider this a favor from the government, but instead the fruit of their and Fundación Pachamama’s labors to respect and exercise the rights of the Achuar as a people. As such, they demand that the remaining titles be immediately granted to Tinkias and Yutsuntza, as well as to the rest of the nationalities and peoples of the Amazon and of Ecuador.
During this process, Fundación Pachamama and NAE have reaffirmed that the indigenous territories are an example of the conservation of natural resources, and that they will not allow petroleum exploitation or any mining activities to take place in indigenous lands. They also support the initiative to leave oil underground, and to respect nature as an integral space for well-being.
