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Resources > Global Issues > Ecuador and Oil > NGOs Working for ... > Amazon Defense Front

Amazon Defense Front

The Amazon Defense Front (Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia -- FDA) was formed in 1994 to support the class action lawsuit against Texaco, a case still underway in New York State. A regional organization working in the northern part of the Oriente, the FDA works to educate and empower the people whose environment and livelihood are threatened by oil development.

Around 15 staff members of the FDA work with over 25 communities in the northern Oriente and that represent approximately 10,000 people. The FDA shares information with community organizations about the impact of oil development, the rights of a community, and the obligations of companies. Most of the FDA’s constituency are colonos (Mestizo settlers), but the FDA works regularly with indigenous communities in providing training and legal counseling.

Activists with the FDA travel the northern part of the Oriente extensively, meeting and consulting with grassroots human rights organizations. These are people who are trying to help their communities recover from the environmental destruction caused by the oil companies over the years, and to prevent more damage from taking place.

In the course of its work, the FDA has helped the Siona and Secoya achieve an important Code of Conduct for negotiations with Occidental Oil Company. This Code helped these indigenous communities secure the best possible arrangements with the oil company, and it is now used as an example in training other communities to preserve their rights.

A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1500 species of flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 125 mammal species, 400 species of birds, 100 of reptiles, 60 of amphibians, and 150 different species of butterflies. In one study, one square meter of leaf litter, when analyzed, turned up 50 species of ants alone. (National Academy of Sciences) Rainforest Action Network

In the words of FDA president Luis Yanza, "We talk about who is responsible for environmental damage, and what the community can demand from the companies. We encourage people to organize and tell the companies, ‘Don’t cause an impact, pay for the damage, and fix it. Respect the community, inform the community about company activities.’"

The FDA pursues the following programs:

• Addressing the demands of the people against Texaco.
• Monitoring environmental damage caused by oil development.
• Capacity building -- holding workshops to educate constituents.
• Legal counseling -- assisting communities in filing complaints, petitions, and claims.
• Research and consultation on developing alternative forms of production. 

Mr. Yanza: "We see that our work can be measured in its impact on people. It is a very slow process. More people know they have to pressure the oil companies, but they are not doing it. Some of the companies give a type of help and there is a fear of losing that, too. They give candies to the kids, these are ‘tonterias,’ foolishness. Or they will provide some cement or roofing for a communal house. Because of this kind of arrangement, there is a fear of loss. For the last ten years, there has been more protest, a change. But it is very slow."

The FDA continues to monitor the Texaco case and to train activists to defend the environment. The contamination of the air, soil, and water in the northern Oriente still lingers. The FDA calls for the construction of potable water systems, hospitals, and health centers. It also calls for community development projects, the creation of a well-equipped educational infrastructure, and for restitution for damages.
In addition to these main areas of work, the FDA has recently begun participating in a network to monitor the impact of Plan Colombia, as the repercussions of the intensified war are felt most strongly in the FDA’s base of operations in northeastern Ecuador.

Amazon Defense Front
Tel: (593-6) 831 930
Email: Admin@FDA.ecuanex.net.ec
fax: (593-6) 880 916

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