Indigenous Amazon leader wins Goldman environmental prize for saving Ecuador's rainforests

Nemonte Nenquimo, an indigenous leader from the Ecuadorian Amazon, is one of the six winners of the Goldman environmental prize which recognises 'heroes of the environment'. She was selected for her success in protecting 500,000 acres of rainforest from oil extraction in her region.

According to BBC reports, Nenquimo along with the members of the Waorani indigenous group took the Ecuadorian government to court over its plans to put their territory up for sale and their legal victory in 2019 set a legal example for indigenous rights. Speaking to BBC, the Amazon leader said the Waorani people have always been protectors and they have defended their territory and their culture for thousands of years.

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Nenquimo's inspired by her grandfather

Nenquimo grew fond of her natural space at an early age. As per reports, she was inspired by her grandfather who was also a leader and protected their land from incursions from outsiders. In the interview, Nenquimo said that she may be the first woman to have been appointed as president of the Waorani of Pastaza province but there are many other women leaders among the Waorani, who she says have been guiding her in her struggle to protect the territory from oil extraction.

As Nenquimo grew up in an area of rainforest where there was no drilling for oil, she recalled the days when she first time visited her aunts, who lived near an oil well. She said the surroundings were noisy along with flames and smoke shooting from the oil well. 

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Nenquimo's victory in the court

In 2018, after almost  20 years when the Ecuadorian government announced that it would put 16 new oil concessions up for auction covering seven million acres of Amazon rainforest, Nenquimo led the fight against the permissions. By now she was in her early thirties and was the co-founder of the Ceibo Alliance, an indigenous-led non-profit organisation promoting indigenous rights and culture.

Nenquimo launched the 'Our rainforest is not for sale' digital campaign which received almost 400,000 signatures from around the world opposing the auction.

She was also a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government and asserted that the authorities had not obtained prior consent from the Waorani to put the land up for auction. The judges in the case ruled in favour of the Waorani in April 2019, as per reports. The ruling means that the government will have to ensure free, prior and informed consent before auctioning off any other land in the future. The legal battle also protects 500,000 acres from oil extraction.

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