In Major Win for Indigenous Rights, Ecuador Votes to Ban Oil Drilling in Protected Amazon Lands

Ecuadorian voters have overwhelmingly supported a ban on future oil extraction in a biodiverse section of the Amazon s Yasuní National Park a historic referendum result that will protect Indigenous Yasuní land from development. We speak with Helena Gualinga, a youth Kichwa Sarayaku environmental activist from Ecuador who has fought against oil drilling all her life and says the results of the vote not only set a crucial precedent as the first time a country has voted by democratic ballot initiative on resource extraction in the Amazon, but also demonstrates that Ecuador is a country that is committed to protecting the Amazon rainforest and to protecting Indigenous Transcript: Democracy Now is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1, 500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at Mondays to Fridays 89 a. m. ET.