Impact of the SECOYA Case on the Environmental Governance of Indigenous Communities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62452/fmkch576Keywords:
Environmental law, sustainability, natural resource management, ecosystems, environmental protectionAbstract
The SECOYA case has highlighted the tensions between Ecuador's environmental regulations and the sociocultural realities of indigenous communities in the Amazon. These tensions have revealed the difficulties in effectively implementing environmental policies in areas with high socioeconomic vulnerability. Therefore, this study analyzed the legal and environmental implications of the administrative resolution issued in this case, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of Ecuador's environmental regulations. A qualitative approach was adopted, which included documentary analysis of the relevant legislation, a review of previous studies, and an examination of the administrative procedures and sanctions imposed on the Secoya community. The results showed that, although the Ecuadorian legal framework was applied according to the identified infraction, its implementation faces significant challenges, especially concerning the compliance with sanctions by indigenous communities. Furthermore, the clearing of 173.60 hectares and the imposed sanctions have reflected the tensions between environmental laws and local socioeconomic needs. In conclusion, the need for a more inclusive and equitable approach to the application of environmental laws was emphasized. Such an approach should consider the socioeconomic realities of indigenous communities and promote a system of technical and financial support to facilitate compliance with regulations.
Downloads
References
Auquilla Ordóñez, A. A., Auquilla Belema, L. A., Caiza López, D. L., & Chávez Villacrés, M. J. (2025). Reimaginando la sostenibilidad en la economía de los recursos naturales: desafíos, estrategias y oportunidades. Reciena, 5(1), 54-59. https://doi.org/10.47187/yh7fe553
Berenguer, E., Armenteras, D., Lees, A. C., Fearnside, P. M., Alencar, A., Almeida, C., Aragao, L., Barlow, J., Bilbao, B., Brando, P., Bynoe, P., Finer, M., Flores, B., Jenkins, C., Silva, C., Smith, C., Souza, C., García, R., & Nascimento, N(2024). Drivers and ecological impacts of deforestation and forest degradation in the Amazon. Acta Amazonica, 54(spe1), 1-32. https://www.scielo.br/j/aa/a/MBJGDQttyMqTvPrQvDMbs4H/?lang=en
Carrasco Rivera, M., & Jaramillo León, A. (2025). El papel de la justicia indígena en la gestión de conflictos ambientales: una revisión del marco normativo en Ecuador. Revista Imaginario Social, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.59155/is.v8i2.288
Cedeño-Zambrano, B., & Zapata-Velasco, M. (2025). Manejo de desechos sólidos bajo el cumplimiento del código orgánico del ambiente en el GAD Municipal de Quinindé . 593 Digital Publisher CEIT, 10(1), 724-735. https://doi.org/10.33386/593dp.2025.1.2925
Chamorro-Valencia, D. X., & Isea-Arguelles, J. J. (2025). Vulneración del derecho a la salud desde la perspectiva medioambiental en el cantón Ibarra. Revista UGC, 3(S1), 66-74. https://universidadugc.edu.mx/ojs/index.php/rugc/article/view/100
Clerici, N., Staudhammer, C., & Escobedo, F. J. (2024). Disentangling the deforestation-environmental crime nexus in Latin America. Trees, Forests and People, 17, 1-9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719324001171
Cuestas-Caza, J., Toledo, L., & Rodríguez, F. (2024). Transcultural bioeconomy governance in a plurinational state: Sumak Kawsay and bio-based production in two Kichwa territories of Ecuador. Forest Policy and Economics, 163, 1-9. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934124000807
Delgado Romero, F., Chávez Déley, Y., García Quimi, A., & Tamayo Sanaguano, A. (2025). La naturaleza como sujeto de derecho en Ecuador: Una invención jurídica o una necesidad para la protección del medio ambiente. Revistalexenlace, 2(1), 74-89. https://revistalexenlace.com/index.php/ojs/article/view/8
Ecuador. Ministerio del Ambiente. (2020). Resolución Administrativa No. 005-2020: Sanción a la Comunidad Secoya por tala de bosques nativos. https://www.ambiente.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2020/04/RESOLUC-DECLARATORIA-DE-EMERG-005.pdf
Etchart, L. (2022). Indigenous peoples and international law in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Laws, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11040055
Fischer, R., Tamayo Cordero, F., Ojeda Luna, T., Ferrer Velasco, R., DeDecker, M., Torres, B., Giessen, L., & Günter, S. (2021). Interplay of governance elements and their effects on deforestation in tropical landscapes: Quantitative insights from Ecuador. World Development, 148. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X21002801
Giraldo Burgos, G., Aviles Tinitana, V., Palacios Rodríguez, A., & Guillin Llanos, X. (2025). El papel de la administración pública en la implementación de políticas de sostenibilidad ambiental en Ecuador. Conocimiento Global, 10(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.70165/cglobal.v10i1.519
López, S. (2022). Deforestation, forest degradation, and land use dynamics in the Northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon. Applied Geography, 145, 2-5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0143622822001205
Muñoz, D., & Avalos, E. (2025). Derecho a la propiedad territorial en pueblos indígenas. Una revisión sistemática. Revista ESPACIOS, 46(02), 176-187. https://www.revistaespacios.com/a25v46n02/a25v46n02p14.pdf
Pincay Rodríguez, Y. L., & Medina Peña, R. (2025). Reparación de los derechos de la naturaleza en el marco constitucional ecuatoriano. Opuntia Brava, 17(especial 1), 86–100. https://opuntiabrava.ult.edu.cu/index.php/opuntiabrava/article/view/2322
Sanchez-Simbaña, S. E. (2025). Una perspectiva emancipadora sobre la gobernanza de recursos naturales y soberanía en el contexto Ecuatoriano. Revista Científica Zambos, 4(1), 140-152. https://revistaczambos.utelvtsd.edu.ec/index.php/home/article/view/82
Sarker, P. K., Fischer, R., Tamayo, F., Navarrete, B. T., & Günter, S. (2022). Analyzing forest policy mixes based on the coherence of policies and the consistency of legislative policy instruments: A case study from Ecuador. Forest Policy and Economics, 144, 1-4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934122001514
Suárez Saltos, W. F. (2021). Estrategia ambiental para prevenir la tala ilegal en el parque nacional Yasuní, Ecuador. 2020. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 5(5), 7258-7277. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v5i5.843
Trujillo Cárdenas, J. A. (2021). El Ecuador y su cumplimiento internacional en materia de derecho al medio ambiente sano a través de la incorporación de los principios internacionales del Derecho Ambiental en la normativa nacional. USFQ Law Review, 8(2), 43-75. https://doi.org/10.18272/ulr.v8i2.2267
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Heidy Viviana Toapanta-Lascano, Brisserida Eimee Gavilanez-Bermejo, Pablo Miguel Vaca-Acosta, Santiago Fernando Fiallos-Bonilla (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Revista Metropolitana de Ciencias Aplicadas (REMCA), agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright
Authors retain unrestricted copyright to their work. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication. To this end, they assign the journal non-exclusive exploitation rights (reproduction, distribution, public communication, and transformation). Authors may enter into additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal, provided that acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal is given.
© The authors.
2. License
The articles are published in the journal under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). The terms can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en
This license allows:
- Sharing: Copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format.
- Adapting: Remixing, transforming, and building upon the material.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any changes were made. You may do this in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses or sponsors your use.
- NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your creation under the same license as the original work.
There are no additional restrictions. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
