Eronilde Fermin is the chief of the Omágua Kambeba in São Paulo de Olivença, in the Brazilian Amazon. The following is an account of the struggle of unequal forces she faces when trying to guarantee indigenous education, medical care during the pandemic, and protection against invaders
Rosa Aranda faces two miseries. One in her own body: she was infected by Covid-19. The other is the historical pollution generated by the oil industry, which threatens the territory in which she lives, Piwiri, in the Ecuadorian Amazon forest.
Diana Ríos Rengifo took on the defense of the Peruvian Amazon after the murder of her father, a well-known Asheninka leader in the fight against illegal loggers. The trees in Saweto, a community located near the Peruvian border with Brazil, are highly coveted on the market and are threatened by indiscriminate logging.
Inspired by Wänä’cä, a leader who is mentioned in the ancestral songs of the Huöttöja people, Hortimio Ochoa is the visible face of defense of the Cataniapo hydrographic basin in the Venezuelan state of Amazonas. It is an area subject to increasingly evident pressure associated with mining, deforestation and the incursion of illegal armed groups.
Andes Agua Amazonía
Despite being different, the Andes mountains and the Amazon forests are part of the same system: the water rises in the mountains, travels thousands of miles and flood plains feeding the planet’s most biodiverse forests. Decision makers, leaders, and many times, the inhabitants of the Amazon basin, not consider or know this relationship. Natural resources are used causing impact on ecosystems and people that depend on them, either upstream or downstream. A problem that affects from small communities to large cities in countries that share the Amazon waters. Andes Water Amazon project is a joint effort of various organizations to communicate the features, beauty and fragility of an important natural system for everyone. Use resources such as photos, videos, stories and reports to unveil what themes and protagonists in this vast environment full of life and culture.
“This river was not contaminated before, it was clear and full of fish, when people began to live in the margins, everything changed”.
The Paramo of the Virgin is the highest point (4,000 meters) of the road east of the country. Is one of the main water reservoirs of Quito.
The Papallacta River waters (left) supply the great river Quijos, named for ancient pre-Columbian inhabitants of the region.
Despite being a strategic place to contain reserves of drinking water for Quito, Papallacta does not have a adequate system for wastewater treatment.
Creeks and waterfalls feed the Pastaza River, which crosses communities of provinces Tungurahua and Morona Santiago, dependents on this vital element.
Andes Agua Amazonia narrates the journey through the Cayambe Coca Park, from the upper parts to the San Rafael waterfall.
Cajas National Park is the main water source for Cuenca, but today is threatened by visitors who throw their trash and burn the forest.
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On the slopes of Urco Mount Dora Paña lives, where their days pass between the history, myths, and beauty of the Atillo – Ozogoche lake system.
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At the foot of La Chorrera is Maria Julia washing clothes, like she makes from ever. She also believes in the healing power of water.
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