Indigenous

BOGOTA, Colombia — Ecuador’s parliament has approved a new law on protected areas that has drawn sharp criticism from Indigenous groups, legal experts and environmental advocates who say it threatens Indigenous land rights and violates both national and international protections.

The law, which passed on Thursday in the 151-seat National Assembly with 80-23 votes in favor, with the remaining lawmakers absent during the vote, allows private entities, including foreign companies, to participate in managing conservation zones.

Government officials have defended the measure, arguing that it will strengthen oversight of protected lands, help improve park security, promote ecotourism and combat illegal mining without allowing extractive activity.

Critics say it could lead to displacement, increased resource extraction and the rollback of hard-won environmental and Indigenous protections enshrined in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution.

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