Ecuador's Bold Move: Environmental Ministry Merges with Energy Sector

Ecuador has combined its Environment Ministry with the Energy and Mines Ministry, a move criticized by activists and Indigenous groups as harmful to biodiversity in the Amazon and Indigenous rights. President Noboa's administration says it's aimed at efficiency, but critics see it as facilitating resource exploitation.

Ecuador's decision to merge the Environment Ministry with the Energy and Mines Ministry has sparked outcry among environmentalists and Indigenous groups. Critics argue this shift endangers biodiversity and Indigenous rights by prioritizing resource extraction over conservation.

President Daniel Noboa, who recently cut the number of ministries from 20 to 14 to save costs, faces backlash for empowering mining and oil sectors. Indigenous leaders, like Nemonte Nenquimo and Alex Lucitante, assert this consolidation undermines victories against extractive industries on Indigenous lands.

With Ecuador's economy heavily reliant on oil and mining, the government's structural changes are seen as facilitating increased drilling despite opposition, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas like the Amazon's Yasuni National Park.

(With inputs from agencies.)