Becky Watson

Ecuadors Environmental Revolutions

Chapter 6 Summary

Organizational Bust, 2000 to 2006: Opportunities for Ecoresisters and Ecoalternatives

Starting in 2000, transitional funding began to decline and as a result the mainstream

segments of the environmental sector (ecodependents) began to shrink as well. During this era,

grassroots and radical activists (ecoresisters) came into focus as the international support

declined. Ecoresisters are independent of international funding allowing them to be more in

control of their agenda as they were able to set their own terms and resist the dominant

environmental and developmental agendas. Their main focus is on extractive development

models and how their alternative views and visions for the future can include becoming more

aligned with ecological synthesis. Ecoentrepreneurs, like ecoresisters, are relatively independent

from international funding and they aim to be regularly replenished at the local level through

taxes, user fees, and payment for ecosystem services.

Around 2000 and 2001, funding for Ecuadors environment from abroad declined

drastically leaving a devastating effect on ecodependent organizations. There are three main

reasons for the funding decline: financial crisis, diverted interests, and an ending to two large-

scale bilateral projects. In 2000 the financial crisis caused a loss of confidence within Ecuadors

political-economic system. With funders holding back on supplying organizations with the funds

necessary to operate, it was harder for the organizations to do their work. In late 2001, the US

suffered from terrorist attacks resulting in a shrinkage in their funding. The US interests were

diverted from funding Ecuadors organizations to the Middle East and not all ecodependent
groups were able to handle the financial shake up. By the end of the 1990s, two large-scale

bilateral projects were coming to an end: USAIDs SUBIR project and a Dutch project called

Programa Podocarpus. When these projects came to an end, many groups shut down for good

despite the project aims to create some social sustainability by way of organizations.

There were four ecodependent strategies to cope with the funding bust: shut down, shift

agenda, proyectismo, and generate regular income. The first strategy, shut down, stems from the

ending of the large-scale projects. Without funding that supported the projects coming to

organizations, many were forced to close despite the projects goal of strengthening the

organizations within the community. After the project shut down, only the original ten

organizations remained even though the number of organizations grew to between forty three

and sixty five. The second strategy, shifting the agenda, alters the organizations mission to meet

the desire of their donors. Instead of folding when funds end, they shift and adapt creating

resource dependency. Ecodependents through this strategy allow foreign interests to overtake

Ecuadorian organizations original goals. The third strategy, proyectismo, is directly linked to

agenda shifting in the sense that environmental organizations respond to request for proposals

(RFPs) (Lewis, 128) from transitional funders. The positive side of this approach is that goals

are set and accomplished but there are many negatives. One negative side of the approach is that

ecodependent groups configure their projects to meet the expectations of the donor through

guidelines and timelines. The proyectismo funding process also has inter-organizational

consequences as it increased competition for funding forcing organizations to work separately

rather than collectively. The last strategy, generating regular income, identifies new sources of

income by providing regular services for a fee. Some options included creating a group from the
organization that would manage Quitos municipal waste while another option was to include

ecotourism in areas to generate revenue.

Ecuadors Funacin Maquipucuna was the first NGO to purchase land for conservation.

The founders, Rebecca and Rodrigo, spent many months in the US setting up funds and

establishing the foundation. With help from UCDavis, they were able to meet others who shared

their experiences of setting up land for conservation in other tropical areas. Rebecca graduated

from UCDavis and took a job with a plant biotech company while Rodrigo made frequent trips

back to Ecuador to continue setting up the foundation. He would take care of the Ecuadorian side

of business while Rebecca would generate an income that the two could live off of aside from

their collective savings. The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in LA became an early

supporter helping with start-up costs as well as preparing the first bird survey of the area to be

purchased. Months later, the Butler family gifted the foundation enough money to be able to

purchase the first piece of land for Maquipucuna. The foundation, since it was fully established,

has helped and been in collaboration with hundreds of national and international partners as

well as pioneering conservation and sustainable development initiatives (Fundacin

Maquipucuna, 2017) on two main biodiversity hotspots: the tropical rainforests of Northwest and

Southeast Ecuador.

This chapter covered a lot of key items that helped to shape the era such as the strategies

implemented by some organizations when transitional funding declined as well as reasoning for

the decline. It didnt surprise me that the US shifted their focus from funding organizations in

Ecuador to the trouble with the Middle East in 2000. President Bush turned the nations focus on

defending the country from future terrorist attacks as well as seeking reciprocity for the damage
caused by the 9/11 attack. With the US playing a large role in funding for the organizations in

Ecuador, our withdrawal forced many to shut down or seek out alternative donors.
 References

Fundacin Maquipucuna (2017). The Maquipucuna Story. Available from:

https://www.maquipucuna.org/the-story-continues