Ecuador

This campaign is no longer active, the information presented here is preserved for educational purposes.

Ecuador has the highest biodiversity per square foot in the world. More than 2,265 streams and rivers cascade down from the Andes mountain range into the Amazon or the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador has proposed up to 226 new hydroelectric projects over the next decades, which will leave a large environmental footprint on its river ecosystems.

International Rivers, in partnership with FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN), has worked to detain construction of the Baba Hydroelectric Project. Waters from the Baba River will be diverted into the existing Daule-Peripa Reservoir for electrical generation and irrigation. The project would impact the livelihoods of thousands of small farmers and indigenous peoples living downstream of the project who will suffer from declines in fisheries, lack of water and other impacts as a result of the dam. No mitigation or management plan for downstream and upstream communities has been developed, yet construction of the project continues.

To support the communities affected by the Daule-Peripa Dam built in the 1980's, International Rivers is partnering with FIAN to prepare a plan to seek restitution for the damages caused to these communities by the project. Communities were not adequately compensated, and are now living in extreme poverty, isolated by the reservoir and without access to health care.

We have also supported the work of the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute (ERI) to provide legal assistance to local groups challenging the Topo Hydroelectric Project (29 MW) on the Amazon headwaters. The Topo is a wild river designated as a "Gift to the Earth" by WWF for its riparian habitat and outstanding levels of biodiversity. The dam project would dewater a significant portion of the river, home to torrent ducks, river otters, newly discovered orchids, and more than 17 endemic plant species. The project remains blocked by local opposition, but project developer PEMAF and US based environmental consulting firm ENTRIX are working to gain the community's support and acceptance.

We are also working with ERI to detain construction of a dam on the Jondachi River, one of the most beautiful, wild and pristine rivers of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The project would dry out a majestic section of the river located in the UNESCO Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, and impact the livelihoods of 15 Kichwa indigenous communities. The project is being developed by Termopichincha S.A., an Ecuadorian energy company.