In Defense of Nature: Listening to Women’s Stories of Resistance Against Extractivism in Southern Ecuador

Abstract

What is the crucial role of women in the growing struggles and resistance against extractivism, in their defense of water and territory in the Ecuadorian province of Azuay? What are the underlying motivations that drive women to resist specific mining, water management and livelihood challenges that governments and transnational corporations impose through a discourse of development in the cantons of Cuenca, Nabon and Giron? To identify and examine specific resistance strategies, from a feminist political ecology perspective, data was collected through interviews with women in 5 rural and 4 urban collectives about their participation using the Power and Interest Matrix. Their fight transcends the merely environmental, advocating for a change in the socioeconomic and political system that promotes collective well-being and the protection of natural resources as a priority. Their activism reflects a deep commitment to the preservation of the environment and dignified ways of life for communities.

Presenters

Diana García Orellana
Student, Doctoral, Universitat de Valencia, Spain

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Ecological Realities

KEYWORDS

Female activism, Water defense, Extractivism, Azuay