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Our next report finds Ann Curry
in the middle of a confrontation that is quite literally,
David v/s Goliath,
in, as you might have figured out by now,
one of the most remote jungles on earth.
It turns out that we all play a role in this fight
which hits uncomfortably close to home.
Under the soaring expanse of Ecuador's rainforest canopy,
the richness of a garden of Eden,
teeming with plants and creatures
known, rare and still undiscovered.
But as bountiful as it is above the forest floor,
another kind of wealth lies beneath.
Endangering the wildlife and the way of life for some of the most reclusive people on the planet.
Some never even seen by the outside world.
And because of this a battle is brewing in this paradise,
that people here say has everything to do with
those of us in the outside world and our way of life!
How could that be?
To find out, we traveled by water,
land
and air!
Deep into the amazon rain forest,
landing in a village called Bamino
to find the rarely seen people of the Waorani tribe.
That's beautiful!
We're met by wary tribal leaders who nevertheless
greet us with a gift.
The Waorani are more stone age than modern age.
They are skilled in the ways of survival in the rain forest.
Encourage their children to grow up deeply connected to nature.
so they can understand its creatures, great and small.
and above all, honor the ways of their ancestors!
[tribesman singing]
It's when we hear this song that we understand why they are so ready to fight!
He is singing "we are not going to lose our culture! We are going to protect our land!"
The song is about the threat of oil drilling,
which they fear, will destroy life as they know it.
Their fears are not unfounded.
The government of Ecuador has just launched a new oil boom,
taking bids for drilling rights on up to 8 million more acres of its rain forests!
Including on some Waorani tribal lands.
and that's where our role in this battle comes in.
America for years has consistently been the number one
oil importer from Ecuador.
To make plastic, to fuel our cars
and to heat our homes!
We're definitely guilty in this story!
And no matter how remotely removed we are from what's going on here,
this isn't, at least a portion of the problem here.
Few people know more about this rain forest and the people living in it
than Boston University biology professor, Kelly Swing.
More than 20 years ago, he set up a research center,
in a remote part of the Yasuni rain forest
the most bio diverse place in the world.
We have a much greater density of jaguars than ever been reported.
We have pumas, we have ocelots.
And he says about 80% of the wildlife in this rain forest
has never been documented by scientists.
As if to prove his point, hiking through the forest
we stumble upon, not just any tarantula!
Markings really sets it apart.
It turns out to be a species unknown to science.
We need to make a specimen available
so that this species can come to have a scientific name.
But the professor's discoveries have become a race against time.
and now he's sounding the alarm.
I'm really starting to have a sense of dread.
This place is, extremely threatened.
Things that you see up here, you'll never see down, inside the forest.
To show us what he means, he leads us
up a spiraling tower above the forest canopy
We hear the sounds of exotic birds!
Ann Curry: Oh my goodness!
But also, something else.
There's definitely an industrial hum coming from the north here.
It's the sound of oil production which first brings the roads,
which he says are the greatest threat to the forest!
He says they cut like daggers into the landscape.
and as evidence, he showed us these before and after photos.
This is chain reaction which essentially begins
with the opening of an access road.
as you start to have some commerce, then it spreads and spreads and spreads!
until you end up with nothing left!
We traveled to the area where these photos were taken,
a place the professor believes was once a rain forest
even more bio diverse than Yasuni.
today, it's an oil town with open gas flares that he says
kills massive numbers of insects vital to the food chain.
Species have disappeared!
People are most afraid of the crude oil itself!
Donald Monkayo became an anti-oil activist after spills and open sludge pits
like this one contaminated ground water,
and he says made people sick.
He's part of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against Texaco,
now owned by Chevron, which ended operations in Ecuador
some 20 years ago.
Chevron says it cleaned up it's share of the polluted sites,
that those sites now pose no significant health risks
and the Ecuador run oil company assume responsibility for any remaining contamination.
That small comfort to Monkayo, who takes us on what he calls
'a toxic tour', he wades into a pit of oil waste
and carries back thick sludge
smells pretty bad!
Let's see how far back it goes!
This pit is more than half the size of a football field and
judging from a branch he plunges into it
Oh man! all the way!
It's also atleast 6 feet deep!
environmentalists say billions of gallons of toxic waste
were left behind by oil companies between 1964 and 1990.
In fact, more oil has been spilled in this rain forest than
Alaska's Exxon-Valdez disaster.
Waorani tribal leader Penti Bivao worries about what's to come.
He shows us on a map how widespread oil drilling is inside Yasuni.
He says it now surrounds his people.
his message to the government: "Let us live in peace and we will be guardians of the forest.
we want to live it with our children"
But it may not be that simple.
Lenin Moreno, Ecuador's vice president.
If Ecuador were in a position to provide for
all of the needs of these people, we would be happy not to exploit.
however, that is not the case!
Up to 50% of Ecuador's revenues comes from Amazon oil
and the vice president asks how a government can give up
revenue that pays for roads,
schools and social programs just to preserve the culture of a
small population.
Still another government official, Ivan Baki,
an environmental minister is not completely in line with
Ecuador's oil centric government.
Why is just that money is importatnt?
What about this human? what about the people?
She has seen the human cost of oil drilling first-hand.
Poor people, already many of them have died because of the diseases!
It is very sad!
Reporter: You acknowledge then that people have died because of pollution?
Of course!
And the pits are still not clean as they should be.
Baki is spearheading an unusual effort
to save the rain forest.
Though only about 1/12th of it.
The offer: Ecuador would not pump out 8 billion dollars worth of oil
if the rest of the world donates 4 billion dollars to an environmental trust fund.
Ecuador is a developing country.
It could be an example to the world.
About 350 million of the required 4 billion dollars has been pledged!
US has not contributed so far.
But the fund won't protect another tribe we visited, the Kichwa.
The government has told them to expect oil operations to begin at any time!
Like the Waorani, the Kichwa believe that
the spirits of their ancestors live on in the forest.
Kichwa women say that they will fight alongside their men to protect it!
Their tribe of 423 is ready for a last stand.
Tribal leader Patrisiya Hupa, also a shaman healer
say they have no choice.
My grandfather protect this land,
and after this my father said me "you need to protect"
"if I am leaving, going to faith, my community"
As long as you're alive, you're going to fight for your community.
you feel so strongly.
Yes.
i'm sorry.
he sees no difference in the survival of the forest and
the survival of his people.
And the government sees no way for the drilling to stop.
So if confronted with indigenous people with spears,
would Ecuador use force?
According to international law, if dialogue fails, there is a process of escalation
for the use of force.
The Kichwa are clearly outmatched int his looming battle.
defeat may be inevitable.
Patrisiya Hupa and these Kichwa leaders say they still won't
back down. He says we have trees,
we have forests, we have rivers.
And with that strength, we will fight.
And if we have to, we will die for this!
Like the Kichwa, the Waorani are reaching out to the world over the internet
and sharpening their spears.
Making poison darts for their blowguns
and waiting.
witnessing it all, professor Kelly Swing says what is
playing out here, unknown to most of the outside world
could forever destroy one of Earth's greatest treasures.
and the culture of an ancient people.
I definitely see this as a human rights issue.
I think it's very sad to say that,
most human rights issues don't come to be recognized as human rights issues
until people start to die.
Ann Curry's report tonight from one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
The rain forest in Ecuador.
Subtitles by the Amara.org community