ɫɫ

Skip to main content
You have permission to edit this article.
Edit

Ecuador approves controversial law on protected areas, sparking legal threats

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Ecuador’s parliament has approved a new law on protected areas that has drawn sharp criticism from Indigenous groups, legal experts and environmental advocates who say it threatens Indigenous land rights and violates both national and international protections.

Updated
1 min read
Ecuador approves controversial law on protected areas, sparking legal threats

FILE - The Napo River flows in Ecuador’s Amazon region, Jan. 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa, File)


BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Ecuador’s parliament has approved a new law on protected areas that has drawn sharp criticism from Indigenous groups, legal experts and environmental advocates who say it threatens Indigenous land rights and violates both national and international protections.

The law, which passed on Thursday in the 151-seat National Assembly with 80-23 votes in favor, with the remaining lawmakers absent during the vote, allows private entities, including foreign companies, to participate in managing conservation zones.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

More from The Star & partners