Indigenous Leaders of the Amazon Gather in Ecuador to Tackle Climate Change
This Wednesday, October 9, and Thursday, October 10, Tena, located in the Ecuadorian Amazon, will host an important meeting on climate change and the traditional knowledge of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon. Organized by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) with the support of the Euroclima Program, the event aims to promote the exchange of experiences and ancestral knowledge to contribute to the fight against climate change.
The meeting, which will take place at the Ikiam Amazon Regional University, will bring together Indigenous authorities and government representatives to discuss the threats that climate change poses to Amazonian territories and how traditional knowledge can contribute to mitigation and adaptation to this challenge.
This initiative is part of ACTO’s broader effort to consolidate the Amazon Regional Platform of Indigenous Peoples, a key tool for integrating traditional knowledge with international environmental commitments.
During the event, key topics such as forest and water conservation and the relationship between ancestral knowledge and health will be discussed. Additionally, there will be a discussion forum focused on the role of Indigenous women, highlighting their involvement in biodiversity protection and the defense of their territories.
Key Agenda
The event will begin on Wednesday with an ancestral ceremony led by Indigenous authorities, followed by the official inauguration by government representatives and community leaders. Subsequently, ACTO will present the project to Create the Amazon Regional Platform of Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change, which seeks to incorporate the proposals of these communities into regional climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
One of the key moments on the first day will be the exchange of experiences on the effects of climate change. In this space, Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition (MAATE) will present its climate change mitigation actions, with a focus on the inclusion of women and the preservation of traditional knowledge. Indigenous representatives, in turn, will share their ancestral practices to address climate challenges in their territories.
The first day will also feature a dialogue with Indigenous women, where their role in defending human and environmental rights, as well as their contributions to biodiversity conservation through traditional knowledge about food and life reproduction, will be discussed.
On Thursday, October 10, the meeting will continue with a discussion on the conservation of Amazonian forests. National actions for forest protection will be presented, followed by interventions from Indigenous representatives who will share their ancestral practices for forest care.
Another central topic will be the exchange of knowledge on health, where discussions will focus on how climate change has affected ancestral knowledge about medicine and biodiversity. Experiences will also be shared on water management and conservation, highlighting traditional practices to preserve this vital resource in Indigenous communities.
This meeting is an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between Amazonian countries and their Indigenous communities in defense of the environment. At the end of the event, it is expected that the proposals generated will be integrated into regional public policies, reinforcing the role of Indigenous peoples in protecting the Amazon in the face of the climate crisis.
