UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

The Ecuador national plan of ‘Buen Vivir’ and the possible contradictions that arise from the end of the Yasuni ITT initiative

Identification

Public canonical key

openalex:w2669841465

Authors

Andrea Sáenz de Viteri

Reported year

2015

Reported language

en

Source type

dissertation

First detected

2026-11-09T19:15:09.515610+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-09T19:15:09.515610+00:00

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Documentary abstract — original language

The traditional discourse of economic growth has separated the consequences of environmental damage that can emerge from countries’ pursuit of development goals (Alam & Islam 2005). From the threats presented by immeasurable growth to the stability of the environment, recommendations have therefore arisen for states to include new strategies in their political agendas that reconsider the impact of environmental deterioration on development discourse. In this context, this review describes the case of Ecuador, a country which has, for decades, suffered the environmental consequences of extractivists’ activities and which, from 2007, has moved forwards into the implementation of a new political agenda for sustainable development. This new development agenda has become rooted in the discourse of Good Living (Sumak Kawsay in Kichwa), a traditional indigenous concept which goes beyond the economic interests of capitalism to become a new system enabling harmony and sustainability between human beings and nature. Additionally, the approved constitution of 2008 has become the first constitution worldwide to grant rights to nature. As a result of this shift in Ecuadorian development discourse, the country has moved towards the implementation of a biodiversity conservation initiative called ‘Yasuni-ITT’. The initiative looks to keep oil underground in one of the country’s largest oil reserves in the Yasuni National Park in exchange for economic compensation from the international community (Martin 2011). However, despite initial commitment to realize this initiative, it was cancelled in 2013. The aim of this paper is to review relevant literature regarding the construction of the discourse of Good Living, examine the reasons behind its construction and, through analysis of the Yasuni-ITT initiative, show the contradictions in the alternative discourse proposed by the Ecuadorian government and the practice. The review suggests that, although the new legal perspective of Ecuador is noteworthy for representing a progressive development model, clashes exist between economic and political interests, diminishing the scope of its legal framework. In addition, the study indicates that the Sumak Kawsay discourse has resulted in controversy about its significance, raising the possibility that it has become a governmental slogan rather than an element of transformation. Moreover, through analysis of the Yasuni-ITT initiative, the review argues that some technical and legal failures have taken place in the way that the initiative was proposed, meaning that structural changes should be implemented to underpin the materialization of the Yasuni-ITT initiative. Finally, the review concludes that the cancellation of the Yasuni-ITT initiative shows that the neo-extractivist interest of the government has prevailed over the interests of Good Living.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

W2669841465

Documentary context

Documentary family

Thesis

Source-reported types

dissertation

Jurisdictions studied — explicit sources

EC

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2

• Document · http://hdl.handle.net/11343/56608
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W2669841465

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