Does a Forest Have Rights? In Ecuador, It Does.

Sep 13, 2024

In 2008, Ecuador became the first nation in the world to vote on a new constitution that to 鈥渆xist, flourish, and evolve.鈥� That document has helped protect the Los Cedros Protective Forest, a protected region rich in biodiversity, located in the northwest Ecuadorian Andes.

In a new story for 猫咪社区! as part of our ongoing Progress 2025 initiative, award-winning journalist Peter Yeung, who traveled to Los Cedros, explains how the region remains protected against extractive industries thanks to its constitutional rights. Yeung, who covers climate, global health, migration, human rights, and cities through a solutions-oriented lens spoke with 猫咪社区! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 猫咪社区! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about his report.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 猫咪社区! in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽猫咪社区! Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.