Challenges of the black communities; the conservation of the Santiago Cayapas river commune

Abstract

This article addresses the case of Afro-descendants in the Rio Santiago Cayapas Commune, Ecuador. Chapter I contextualizes Esmeraldas within the Chocó Biogeographic region. Chapter II analyzes the history from African slaves to the resistance stronghold. Chapter III explores how the resource-rich Rio Santiago Cayapas Commune faces state-driven displacement, logging industry, oil palm agriculture, and mining, prioritizing resource exploitation, impacting local communities. Logging, oil palm, and mining lead to deforestation, territory loss, conflicts, and environmental degradation, straining life in the Rio Santiago Cayapas Commune.