Going Ape Vision

Increasing Awareness, Sharing Passion and Creating Opportunities

Going Ape aims to connect us with our roots in nature, preserving the world's rainforests as well as ancient shamanistic knowledge and traditions of indigenous tribes of the rainforests.

1. Increase Awareness for the Protection of the World's Rainforests

Going Ape offers an opportunity, where everybody can share their passion and inspirations for the preservation of the world's rainforest and get involved in Going Ape Events.

2. Sharing our Passion and Committment for the World's Rainforests

Go Ape, be part of the rainforest tribe and support its protection through volunteering. The world's rainforests are the home for more than half of all animal and plant species on Earth, as well as for many indigenous tribes whose lives depends on the rainforests.

3. Creating Opportunities for a Sustainable Society

Going Ape aims to connect us with our roots in nature and empowering us to be the change that we want to see. The rainforests are the second-largest ecosystems on the planet. If rainforests are deforested CO2 is released into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

The case for Rights of Nature in face of the Mirador Open Pit Copper Mining Project

Ecuador is facing one of its most challenging cases for Rights of Nature as the government moves ahead with a contract for open pit mining in Ecuador. Please add your support by signing a petition of concerned citizens.

Support Rights of Nature in Ecuador - The Petition Site http://www.thepetitionsite.com/888/727/673/support-rights-of-nature-in-ecuador/



In March 2012, the government of Ecuador signed a contract with Ecuacorrientes (ECSA), a company of Chinese capital to extract copper, gold and silver from the Condor Highland in southeastern Ecuador. Today the humid tropical forest of the Condor Highland is one of the richest and most biodiverse areas of South America. The proposed Mirador Project includes 6 open pit industrial mining concessions in an area encompassing almost 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres). Mirador’s open pit mines will eliminate all the vegetation and the superficial soil layer of the mined area including 4,000 species of vascular plants that contain the richest biodiversity in South America. Over 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of protected forest in the Condor Highland will be affected. The strong case highlights the fact that Walsh Consultant, hired by ECSA to make the Environmental Impact Assessment, determined that species of amphibians and reptiles, endemic to the zone could go extinct since the fragile habitats which their life depends on will be completely removed with the project and water sources and aquifers will be polluted. In spite of this report the Environmental License was given and the contract signed.

Environmental, human rights, and indigenous organizations along with local community members from the Condor region in Ecuador have joined together to file a lawsuit to stop the Mirador Mining Project and protect fragile ecosystems in the area. The suit claims that the mine would violate the protected rights of ecosystems guaranteed in Articles 71-73 on Rights of Nature in the Ecuador Constitution. The case is now being analyzed by the 25th Civil Court of Pichincha against the Ministry of Non Renewable Resources, the Ministry of Environment and Ecuacorriente with the plaintiffs asking to stop the Mirador Mining Project using the precautionary principle to guarantee Rights of Nature, Right to Water and Right to a Decent Life.

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