Indigenous Amazon activist in Columbia takes his fight to the UN biodiversity forum

Sub : Geo

Sec: Biodiversity

Context:

Ecuadoran activist Alex Lucitante, a determined defender of the Amazon rainforest, continues his fight against land-grabbing miners and armed groups threatening his homeland. Later this month, Lucitante will represent Indigenous communities at the COP-16 biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia, where he aims to amplify the voices of his people on the global stage.

Key Points:

Alex Lucitante, 31, belongs to the ‘Cofan Avie ethnic group’ and is the son of a shaman.
He has led efforts to combat illegal gold mining in the Amazon, establishing an Indigenous guard and a drone surveillance system to protect his community’s lands.
In 2018, Lucitante and his community won a major legal case that resulted in the annulment of 52 gold mining concessions in Ecuador, which were granted without community consultation.
In 2022, Lucitante and fellow activist Alexandra Narvaez received the Goldman Prize, often considered the “Nobel” for environmentalists, for their work protecting the Amazon.
- Each year, the Goldman Environmental Prize is awarded to grassroots environmental champions from around the world.
Despite legal and grassroots victories, illegal gold mining continues in the Amazon, devastating local ecosystems.

Cofan Avie ethnic group:

The Cofán, who call themselves A’i, are an Indigenous people living in Sucumbíos Province in northeast Ecuador, Southern Colombia, and between the Guamués and Aguarico Rivers.
They speak A’ingae (Cofán language)

Source: TH