In the copper-rich mountains of southeastern Ecuador, residents working as “paraecologists” are documenting the biodiversity of their territory – home to endangered species, waterfalls, and medicinal plants – not simply for the record, but to protect the land from mining.
The data paraecologists collect, such as species inventories and water samples, is translated into evidence that carries weight in courts. Increasingly, it’s winning cases. That’s because in Ecuador, nature has legal rights.
Katie, who traveled to Maikiuants, Ecuador, to report this story, explains the work these paraecologists are doing, what impact it might have on mining in their community, and the complex relationships between human rights and the rights of nature.
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