This Indigenous woman's conservation work is protecting and defending the culture, land, and people of the Amazon.
Nemonte Nenquimo is a Waorani woman who lives in Ecuador, which is "home to some of the most biodiverse rainforests on Earth, teeming with rich wildlife, intricate ecosystems, and Indigenous communities like the Waorani," wrote OneEarth.
The Waorani have lived along the Amazon for thousands of years, but deforestation and construction threaten their land. In the last 50 years, 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed, according to Sentient Media.
Millions of people are at risk of losing their homes — and Nemonte Nenquimo is trying to prevent that.
When seven million acres of Indigenous land was up for sale, Nemonte partnered with Amazon Frontlines to launch Our Rainforest is Not for Sale. The campaign collected signatures and shared resources to prevent the sale of Indigenous land without their permission.
The campaign was successful. The "court ruled to protect 500,000 acres of their rainforest from oil extraction and mandated that no land could be auctioned without prior and informed consent from the tribe," according to OneEarth.
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The Amazon is Earth's largest rainforest. The lush forest acts as a carbon sink, slowing the effects of the changing climate. It also hosts thousands of species of plants and animals and is incredibly biodiverse. Without the Amazon, we could lose 10% of our animals and see a drastic rise in the planet's temperature.
From bringing green energy upgrades like solar panels to Indigenous communities to encouraging Waorani youth to document and protect their land, Nemonte's work has an incredible impact on the environment and the people around her.
Nemonte is also the co-founder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit Ceibo Alliance, which works toward "indigenous resistance and international solidarity rooted in the defense of indigenous territory, cultural survival, and the building of viable solutions-based alternatives to rainforest destruction," per its website.
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Hard work pays off. Not only is the Amazon and its people safer through her efforts, but she was also recognized by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people in 2020 and received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her sustained efforts to protect the planet.
"As Indigenous peoples, we are fighting to protect what we love—our way of life, our rivers, the animals, our forests, life on Earth—and it's time that the world listened to us," she told OneEarth.
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