'Leave the gold in the ground': Ecuador's forest guardians mobilise against illegal mining in Amazon

The Indigenous A'i Cofán people invoke their ancestors and carry spears but also use drones, GPS mapping and the courts as they fight to protect their land from a rapacious gold rushWith short amulet-covered spears made of blackened chonta palm, GIS mapping phones, walkie-talkies and wearing black and green uniforms, the A'i Cofán seem to merge into the jungle as they march silently down a path through their land.Calling themselves the Indigenous guard, the 27-strong group patrols a territory of 243 sq miles (630 sq km), stretching from more than 2,500 metres above sea level in the Andean foothills down into the Amazon rainforest. Continue reading...