All language subtitles for Yasuni.Man.2017.1080p.WEBRip.x265-RARBG2_English

(birds chirping)

(light orchestral music)

(speaking foreign language)

(chanting in foreign language)

(speaking foreign language)

(light orchestral music)

- [Ryan] This is Yasuni,
the Man, and Biosphere Reserve,

a vast tract of rainforest
in Ecuador's Amazon.

It contains Yasuni
National Park,

the Waorani Ethnic
Reserve and a buffer zone.

At around 17,000
square kilometres,

it's nearly the size of Jamaica.

Yasuni teems with wildlife.

Scientists have hailed it

as the most biologically
diverse place on earth.

But the forest also
holds Ecuador's largest

untapped oil reserves,
and a violent conflict

now rages over that
valuable resource.

At the centre of the conflict
are the people known

as the Waorani.

My name is Ryan.

You may be wondering
what the hell I'm doing here?

I'm a wildlife biologist
and filmmaker,

and since 2005 I've been
documenting this area

through film and photography,

advocating for its protection

and promoting its conservation.

Ever since I was a boy, I've
been passionate about animals.

But it was frogs that
truly mystified me.

Maybe it's their massive eyes,
each one like a tiny galaxy.

It was my love of frogs that
would first bring me to Yasuni.

Ecuador's frogs are
amazingly diverse;

Yasuni alone boasts over 150
species, more than are found

in all of the United
States combined.

To me, it is a paradise.

This is Otobo Baihua.

We were introduced by
mutual friends in 2009.

He invited me to visit his
family and document his home

where his ancestors
have lived for generations.

He lives with his
wife and children

in a small Waorani
community called Boanamo.

Deep in the heart of Yasuni,

it is home to about 20 people,

most of whom are in
Otobo's immediate family.

He's concerned
about their future

because they are caught
between two worlds

where the new world is
rapidly consuming the old.

He wanted me to
witness the destruction

of the forest and wildlife
that have sustained

and defined his
people for generations.

We hoped that together
we could make a difference

and help save Yasuni.

This is our story.

Some outsiders refer
to Waoranis as Aucas,

a derogatory term
meaning savages.

They are a
hunter-gather community

that has traditionally
lived semi-nomadically,

and are one of nine
indigenous tribes

inhabiting the
Ecuadorian Amazon.

The Waorani have
no written history,

and their story has mostly
been told by missionaries

seeking to convert them
or corporations working

to extract their
forest's resources.

To understand the conflict
between the Waorani

and the outside world, we
need to start at the beginning.

This is the Spanish Conquistador
Francisco de Orellana.

He is probably the
first European to come

in contact the
Waorani back in 1541,

as he searched the Amazon
for the cinnamon fields.

Hundreds of years later,
at the turn of the 20th century,

industrial barons came
to the Yasuni region

to harvest rubber.

Many were killed by the Waorani;

those who survived quickly fled.

The resulting fear of the
region kept outsiders away

for the next 50 years.

But by 1942, Royal Dutch
Shell had come in search of oil.

Over the next seven years,
several oil workers died

in violent confrontations
with the Waorani.

After that,
Shell abandoned their operations

in Ecuador,
citing hostile natives

as one of the main
reasons for closing shop.

(upbeat jazz music)

In the early 1950s,
Nathan Saint, a skilled pilot

and evangelical missionary,
bought the abandoned runway

in the town of Shell.

It was here that Nathan founded

a group called Alas de Socorro,
"The Wings of Help,"

to spread the word of God to
remote indigenous communities

in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

♪ See the loons as they fly by ♪

- [Ryan] But Operation Auca,
Nathan Saint's attempt

to make the first peaceful
contact with the Waorani,

ended in disaster.

- This is a special
news bulletin,

from HCJV Quito,
Ecuador, South America.

Today we received
confirmation of the death

of five missionaries,
Ed McCulley, Roger Ugarian,

Pete Flemming, Jim Elliott,

and Nate Saint on what is known

as Palm Beach along
the Cururay River.

Apparently they were killed
by primitive Auca Indians

in the jungles of Ecuador.

- [Ryan] On January 8, 1956,
Nathan and his four colleagues

were speared to death and
cast into the Cururay River.

(light acoustic guitar music)

After Nathan was killed,
his sister Rachel

continued his cause.

With support from the
Summer Institute of Linguistics,

she would decipher
the Waorani language

after finding Dayuma.

Dayuma was the key to
making first peaceful contact

in the fall of 1958.

- [Rachael] Eventually,
all of Dayuma's

related group made
their permanent homes

on the Tigueno River with us.

There were 56 in all.

God was giving
us their confidence.

The miracle for which
many had prayed

was becoming a reality.

- [Ryan] So began a
new era for the Waorani.

(singing in foreign language)

- You can believe
if you want to.

(audience applauding)

- [Man] They were
exhibited on the television

and as the star attraction
of the evangelical rallies

in many parts of the world.

(grand orchestral music)

- [Narrator] "This is
Your Life", a programme

for all of America.

(audience applauding)

- Good evening
ladies and gentlemen!

I'd like to present to you,
two very charming

and interesting ladies,
first the lady who

is working among
the most primitive

and most savage Indian tribes

in Peru and Ecuador,
Miss Rachel Saint.

(audience applauding)

And her travelling
companion and good friend,

the very first member of
the fierce Auca tribe ever

to leave the jungles of Ecuador,
Dayuma!

(audience applauding)

(speaking foreign language)

- [Translator] In the
past before we believed in

Christianity, somebody would,
for instance, get sick and die.

People would think
they were bewitched

and got very angry and go off

and spear the person
that thought had caused it.

- [Translator] Every
spearing would be revenged,

and they would go
back and forth killing.

But Jesus and god
in heaven say no,

they say live by
only killing meat.

So we heard and
thought it was good.

We believe in god and
now we live in peace.

- [Ryan] This Christianization
was carried out

by removing many Waorani
from their ancestral lands

into a region known
as The Protectorate.

(light orchestral music)

- [Narrator] On Sunday
afternoon we gathered

at the riverbank for
a baptismal service.

Assisting me was Kemo,
one of the killers.

Before this those
who desired baptisms,

and were considered
ready for this important step,

were given an
opportunity to testify

to their faith in Christ.

There were nine
baptised at this time,

including the last of
the Palm Beach killers.

- [Ryan] But when the Waorani

came into contact
with outsiders,

they were exposed to
germs that their bodies

could not fight,
leaving many crippled or dead.

- [Ryan] Disease
was not the only thing

to follow the missionaries.

In 1960, just two years
after first peaceful contact,

oil exploration began again.

Yasuni was officially open
for business, big business.

- There is no question
that the campaign

by the Summer
Institute of Linguistics

to contact and
relocate the Waorani

was supported by Texaco
and the government of Ecuador.

And Texaco provided planes,
pilots because

basically the missionaries
cleared the Waorani

out of their concession.

They cleared the
Waorani out of the areas

that the company wanted to work,

because the oil workers
were afraid of the Waorani.

Texaco, other oil companies
and the government of Ecuador,

have basically
treated Waorani lands

as if they are empty land,
as if they are unoccupied.

"Tierra baldias" is what
the Ecuadorian law says,

and I think there was a
complicity of interests.

- I don't think there
is any validity to it,

especially those
original missionaries.

I can't speak for every
missionary that has worked

in the Waorani area, but
I've read basically everything

there is to read
from the missionaries

that were killed
during that time.

There is never any
mention of the oil company,

there is never
mention of any desire

on their part to do
anything besides

reaching the Waorani
with God's love.

As Christians, we feel
that it is our responsibility

to share god's love with them.

We don't force our religion
on anyone but we do want

to go in and share a lifestyle

that they can live that doesn't
include killing each other.

- [Ryan] The Summer
Institute of Linguistics worked

in Waorani territory
well into the '70s.

- The history of
Christianity in Latin America

has not always
been a pleasant story.

The whole idea that the cultures
you're going in to contact

are basically and
by their very nature

evil or wrong because
they are different

is an idea that at one time
was very widely accepted.

It would be nice if the
Waorani could remain

isolated as they
have in the past.

They are not doing that and
they are not going to do that,

they are going to change.

As a consequence,
I feel it is very important

that they learn how to operate

in the wider cultural context

that they are now
finding themselves.

- [Ryan] In 1979, part of Yasuni

was designated a National Park.

And in 1980, the Summer
Institute of Linguistics

was expelled by the
Ecuadorian government, for

spreading economic dependence
and cultural assimilation.

Even though most Waorani
have been contacted,

two clans have no communication
with the outside world.

They are called the
Tagaeri and the Taromanane,

or the people in
voluntary isolation.

It's estimated that fewer than
400 of them remain in Yasuni.

(camera shutter clicking)

To this day, they aggressively
protect their territory

and way of life from intruders,
at the end of a spear.

In 1987, two advocates
of indigenous rights,

Spanish Capuchin
Priest Alejandro Labaka

and Colombian nun Inez Arango,

set out to warn the
people in isolation

that oil companies were
advancing into their territory.

- [Ryan] This would be the
last photograph ever taken

of Alejandro and Inez.

- [Ryan] This incident
brought global attention

to the region.

In 1989, Yasuni was selected
to be part of UNESCO's Man

and Biosphere programme

that aims to establish
a scientific basis

for the improvement of
relationships between people

and their environments.

But the designation
has done little

to relieve the pressures
upon the Waorani

and their forest from
the outside world.

Otobo and his community,
Boanamo, are no exception.

A two to three days boat ride

from the nearest road,
the community of Boanamo

is isolated and
completely surrounded

by pristine primary rainforest.

Otobo and his parents have
lived here for over 25 years.

They have survived
invasions by missionaries

and the oil industry
into their territory,

somehow managing to
keep their culture intact.

Otobo's father, Omayuhue,
is the chief of the village.

His mother, Dicari,
is the matriarch.

- [Ryan] The two have
been together for decades.

- [Ryan] Today,
Dicari is making Chicha.

This nutritious drink is an
important part of their diet.

- [Ryan] Omayuhue is a
warrior and a skilled hunter,

proficient with a spear.

Sharing hunting stories is
part of Waorani oral tradition.

- [Ryan] Blowguns are
their weapon of choice

for hunting monkeys
high in the canopy.

- [Ryan] Waoranis carve
darts for their blowguns

from raw palm shoots.

- [Ryan] As the hunt approaches,

the hunters carve
the shoots into darts.

- [Ryan] Hunting is a team
effort and involves many risks.

(speaking foreign language)

The forest contains
venomous snakes,

and the sharp spines of
trees litter the forest floor.

- [Ryan] The failed hunt
doesn't dampen their spirits,

for there are many ways to
keep the group entertained.

Caiga, Otobo's older brother,

finds a giant earthworm casting.

(blowing)

(laughing)

- [Ryan] When the men
fail to feed the family,

the women step in.

- [Ryan] When the
barbasco root is submerged,

it releases a chemical compound
that suffocates the fish,

making them easy to capture.

- [Ryan] Minewe, at about
75 years old, is still able

to collect ungurahua fruit.

She gathers them for
her husband Kemperi

who can no longer climb himself.

When I'm with the Waorani,
I can't ignore

how interconnected
they are with this forest.

They can find
everything they need

to survive from their
immediate surroundings.

But the forest doesn't
just provide a home

to the Waorani, it does the same

for an astounding diversity
of plants and wildlife.

To understand just how
biodiverse this place is,

I assembled a team
of biologists to perform

a biological inventory in an
area never before explored

by scientists,
Otobo's backyard of Boanamo.

With full participation from
the community, we set up camp.

We conducted our inventory

in an area about 40
square kilometres,

or approximately one quarter
of the size of Washington DC.

Over the next 16 days,
we catalogued

as many reptiles,
amphibians, birds, mammals,

fish,
trees and fungus as possible.

We conducted research
around the clock,

and what we found
was incredible.

(light orchestral music)

- This is a call I
haven't heard before,

or at least I heard
it at one site,

I recoded it but I never
managed to track the frog down.

But I've never heard this call
where I'm working in Yasuni.

Really nobody has
done any collecting

of reptiles and amphibians

down here at least
as far as I know.

Oh here it is.

I've worked in Yasuni
National Park to the North,

and this site is actually
about 40 kilometres south

of the southern most
site I have worked at.

And even on my very
first night hike I came up

with a possible new species.

- Man, in just three days,
we have found

almost 200 different
species of mushroom.

Out of those,
I would say maybe 80 or 90

are ones that I
can put a name on.

Other ones,
we would have to take back

to the lab to identify them,
we might not.

They are fairly rare.

And the other ones
are probably just new.

- [Ryan] Between
outings we would fuel up

in our fully outfitted kitchen.

It made a good gathering place
to tap the elders' knowledge.

Field guides helped
us confirm the presence

of species that we may
have otherwise missed.

- [Ryan] From the bottom
of rivers to the tops of trees,

the data kept rolling in.

- This morning we saw the
Fiery Topaz up in the canopy

and it was snapping up insects,

and then Domingo started
making the chicking noise

that the female was
making while she

was catching the insects.

And it just came
zipping right down

and landed right
in front of my face.

- [Ryan] As we endured
the heat and biting insects,

we continued to catalogue
more and more species.

- Oh look,
oh it's our first boa.

This is Crotalus hortulanus.

These are renowned for
being very aggressive snakes.

They have long teeth,
but they don't have any venom.

There you are.

I've managed to catch
it without getting bitten.

So I think I'll take
it back to the lab

to get some good photos of it.

Here we are, I can see the head

of a dwarf caiman
sticking out of the water.

Here we are, a dwarf caiman.

This is Rhinobothryum
lentiginosum,

it's about as rare a snake

as you can expect to find here.

I've never seen one of these.

It does have a reputation
of being extremely rare.

I'm very happy to see it.

- [Ryan] In just 16 days,
we found as many species

in this little patch
of forest as exist

in all of France, which is
over 13,000 times larger.

Most noteworthy were the
discovery of three new species,

two frogs and a fish.

Surely, Yasuni has many more
secrets to reveal to the world.

(speaking foreign language)

- Yasuni is the richest
area in the entire

western hemisphere,
and possibly the world.

Yasuni is at the core
of a small unique zone

where four key groups where
amphibians, birds, mammals,

and plants all reach
peak diversity together.

- [Ryan] Because of
Yasuni's unique location,

where the Equator,

Andes and Amazon all converge,
an enormous number

of species are able to co-exist.

- If we look at trees,
there's more species

per hectare than in all of the
US and Canada combined.

If we look at frogs,
there's more species of frogs

in a space a few square
kilometres than there are

in the US and Canada combined.

Birds are really well
represented here,

for the Yasuni National
Park the number

is really similar
to 600 species.

The US and Canada Combined,
about 800 species.

And we can say, pretty reliably,

that we have more diversity
here than anywhere else

in the world.

- It amazes me how the
Waorani have adapted to,

even flourished in such
a hostile environment.

No matter how many
times I see it, I'm always

in awe when they walk
naked in the jungle.

While my team enjoyed
our familiar conveniences,

tents, bottled water, propane,

in reality, we couldn't
survive without the Waorani.

On a previous excursion,
I tried hiking 25 miles

through a virgin patch of
forest with a few friends.

Even with all our
fancy camping gear,

we got our butts kicked.

It's about 6:30 and
I'm already in bed,

so is everybody else.

We are all pretty
exhausted and the conditions

are pretty brutal.

If you don't respect this
forest, it will devour you.

(speaking foreign language)

It seems like these King
Vultures have found a tapir.

You can see all the poop from
the vultures on these leaves.

They have just been
sitting here slowly

picking this thing apart.

It smells absolutely horrible.

Well that is pretty disgusting,

but it's all part of the
process here in the Amazon.

We could smell this from
about 200 metres up river.

(laughing)

- I don't know how we could
have confirmed Otobo's theory.

Was oil the culprit,
or was the tapir bit by a snake?

Or did it grow sick
from parasites?

What I do know is any
animal has to struggle

to survive here.

I myself got a taste
of a different type

as Otobo would say "arroz".

Well, I've been back
from the Amazon now

for about three weeks and
unfortunately my botflies

haven't left and they
have been in my leg

for about 10 weeks now.

It's constantly oozing
goop and excrement

out of my open wound in my leg.

So, I'm gonna try to
pull out a couple of them

right now if possible.

(cheerful music)

Ahhh, this is what you get

for not having health insurance.

You wind up having
to pull this shit out

of yourself on a
Tuesday afternoon.

(groaning)

I was able to get all
three of them out of my leg

and it was pretty gross,

but those are three
large botfly maggots.

From botflies to venomous
snakes, the Waorani

are adapted to the
dangers of the rainforest.

But the one thing
that they cannot adapt

to is our oil-hungry world.

Below Yasuni lie Ecuador's
largest untapped oil fields.

With a population
around 15 million people,

it is South America's
third-largest exporter of oil.

The country is also
infamous for oil spills.

Yasuni's landscape has
become a series of wells

and refineries,
sprouting hundreds

of kilometres of pipeline.

This is a contentious
issue in Ecuador,

the scene of one of the
largest class-action lawsuits

in the world,
between the people of Ecuador

and the American oil giant,
Chevron Texaco.

The court battle was
fought over devastation

caused by millions of gallons

of crude oil spilled
between 1970 and 1990.

Thousands of people
were left sick and displaced,

and large parts of the forest
became a toxic wasteland.

- The oil industry and the
Government are very good

at promising environmental
protection in future operations,

and I would love to
believe that that's possible,

because the political forces
behind oil development

are very very strong.

But, the track record of
the industry today shows

that it is not.

Talk is cheap.

People in government,
people in the oil industry,

even people in some of the
environmental organisations

who say that oil
development and conservation

are compatible,
my question to them is, where?

- [Ryan] We visited one of
Ecuador's contaminated sites.

- [Ryan] We had been at
the site for just five minutes

when armed guards arrived,

followed by the Ecuadorian
military and the police.

We were detained and threatened
with prison for trespassing.

(speaking foreign language)

(light acoustic guitar music)

For decades, the people
of Ecuador have suffered

as corruption and
political instability

have ravaged their economy.

In Quito, Ecuador's capital
city, unrest is common.

Between 1996 and 2007, seven
presidents ruled the country.

None of them
completing a full term.

President Lucio Gutierrez was
the last president driven out

of office in deadly
protests in 2005.

(guns firing)

And many Waorani
raised their voices

to protest the government
for their abuses.

- [Ryan] The Waorani
employed new tactics

to get the attention
of the government.

They set oil roads ablaze,

disrupting the
extraction of crude.

The Ecuadorian
constitution protects the rights

of the country's many
indigenous communities.

But when indigenous
communities live on land

with oil reserves,
it often leads to conflict.

- [Ryan] In response to the
country's poor track record

on the environment
and human rights,

the newly elected
President Correa proposed

a revolutionary initiative
to protect the Yasuni region

from oil extraction.

- [Ryan] Backed by
the United Nations,

the plan asked wealthy
countries to compensate Ecuador

for half of the
estimated oil revenue,

approximated at
3.6 billion dollars,

for keeping its
oil in the ground.

A portion of Yasuni,
in turn, would be protected

from future development.

The proposal, and President
Correa's placing the rights

of nature in the
Ecuadorian Constitution,

made his administration
appear environmentally friendly.

- Yasuni has really,
become, like a trademark

of what conservation
represents to the world.

What we want to create
in Ecuador is an awareness

of the importance that
we give to the environment

and to change this
dependency on oil

into a different
economic development

that is not just
dependent on oil.

- [Ryan] Negotiations
began and interest grew.

Countries such as Germany
and Spain applauded

the proposal and were
among the first to pledge

to Yasuni's protection.

But then, the initiative
stalled completely.

- The initiative has
gotten very tepid support

from the international
community.

It's really unfortunate
because it is

an important initiative
to force the question

of what are we going
to ultimately do to protect

our planet from the
ravages of climate change

and how will be wean ourselves
off a carbon energy diet?

- [Ryan] I wondered,
how serious was President Correa

about protecting Yasuni?

I filmed him in New York City,

where he came with his entourage
to promote the initiative.

I was left disturbed
by what he said.

- [Ryan] That's right.

He mistook the only indigenous
Ecuadorian in the audience

as a Cofan,
a completely different tribe

that doesn't even
live in Yasuni.

This may seem like a harmless
error to some, but to me,

it showed Correa's ignorance

of the issues
surrounding Yasuni.

The Waorani are the only
people native to Yasuni,

and they are the only ones
who have a direct stake

in the preservation initiative.

As I travelled in Yasuni,
two questions stuck in my mind.

First,
how has petroleum production

harmed the forest's
bio-diversity and people?

And second, if this continues,
what can be expected

for the future and
fate of Yasuni?

To find out, Otobo and I
organised an expedition.

Together,
we travelled 1500 kilometres

along seven rivers

inside Yasuni to get
a better understanding

of the richness of wildlife
in proximity to oil roads.

We saw with our own eyes

how the petroleum
industry directly

affects the people and wildlife.

With the dry season upon us,
it was the perfect time

to spot animals.

Water levels in the rivers
were low and many species

would come to the
riverside to drink water

or bask in the sun.

They would also leave behind
footprints in the soft mud

allowing us to identify
animals that we didn't see.

We began in the city of
Coca and loaded our boat

beside the massive new bridge
that crosses the Napo River,

essentially a road to nowhere.

The creation of this $50
million dollar monolith

suggests the scope
of the government's

future plans for Yasuni.

- This brand new
bridge here in Coca

crossing the Napo River
has come to be a symbol

for progress here in
Amazonian Ecuador.

Basically this represents
a way of gaining access

right across Amazonia,
and we expect this to end up

implying the development
of major highways just south

of the Napo here,
leading out toward Peru,

Colombia and Brazil.

- For the first half of our
journey, Otobo brought

his wife and kids,
his brother Bartolo,

and his good friend Iteca.

We set out on the Napo River,

Ecuador's most heavily
travelled waterway,

and Yasuni's northern border.

Once it shone brilliantly,
but the Napo is now choked

with colonial communities,
sprawling with oil development,

and nearly devoid of wildlife.

After a full day of travel,
we reached the Yasuni River.

Navigating its waters,

we finally left the
oil activity behind

and saw the forest come alive.

Just in this past 20
kilometres on the river

we have seen river
dolphins three times,

three different groups,

we've seen capybara,

we've seen signs of tapir.

The other interesting thing is,

North of the Yasuni
is the ITT oil block.

So, whatever happens at the ITT,

this is the area that's
gonna be heavily impacted,

and we are seeing such
amazing wildlife at it.

We made our way
to Lake Tambococha,

an oxbow lake in the
heart of the ITT oil block.

These bodies of
water are a crucial part

of this Amazonian ecosystem.

From these lakes
spread a network

of backwater drainages
providing habitat

to hundreds of species.

Black caiman silently
patrol its dark waters,

and endangered
giant river otters shriek

as they hunt for fish.

Both are keystone species.

It appears things
are healthy here,

but not far away we began
to see signs of human impact.

We saw charapas river turtles
killed by boat propellers,

and fishing nets are
trapping indiscriminately.

(Ryan exclaiming)

- After navigating
these winding rivers

for several hours,

we would stop to
stretch our legs.

Otobo's kids would play about,
and his daughter Guima,

a budding naturalist,

found dozens of giant
river otter tracks in the sand.

Every time we stopped,
we saw it as an opportunity.

We found some really
large Jaguar tracks,

only about 100
metres from our camp.

You can see right
here how fresh they are,

and how perfect they are.

We eventually saw a jaguar,

but barely caught a glimpse
of this elusive predator.

Okay, here they are.

(speaking foreign language)

So, there are the jaguar tracks.

Because many of
Yasuni's wildlife species

are both elusive and nocturnal,
camera traps

are an invaluable tool

for detecting the
forest's inhabitants.

We set up camera
traps in several locations

and would return in a
few weeks to collect them.

(speaking foreign language)

Making our way to Kawymeno,
we stayed the night

with Otobo's aunt, whom he
had not seen in nearly 20 years.

Walking through the community,

I was struck by the
difference between Kawymeno

and Otobo's village of Boanamo.

Here in Kawymeno, only
one traditional home remains

and the rest of the
village is made of concrete.

And more changes are inevitable.

We were told a new
road was being built

in the adjacent forest,
in oil block 31.

According to the
chief of Kawymeno,

they were compensated
$20,000 US dollars for access.

For this community of 160
people, that breaks down

to just $125 per person.

Imagine, trading your
future for two weeks' wages.

- [Ryan] Finding the
new road wasn't difficult.

The Ecuadorian government
calls it an ecological trail,

but I've never seen a
trail that you can drive

an excavator down.

I asked myself, how can the
Ecuadorian government attempt

to raise funds to
protect the ITT oil block

from development,
while simultaneously

building a new road in the
neighbouring oil block 31?

- It was quite a
shock because it

had not been announced
that Petro Amazonas

was actually moving
into block 31,

presenting essentially
a fait accompli.

They had gone into the
Yasuni Park.

It was quite chilling realising
that another vast portion

of Yasuni virgin forest,

was about to be altered forever.

Industrialised.

- [Ryan] The new road
will be the fourth major

road built in Yasuni.

Its impact will be enormous.

Moving west up the Tiputini,
we were soon reminded

of what is in store
for this vast tract

of virgin rainforest,

as we ran into the new
road's predecessors.

The Auca road was
built in the early '80s.

It extends 100 kilometres
South from Coca

to the Cururay river.

Spurring off of it is
the Armadillo Road.

The Maxus Road came
about a decade later.

It runs from the Napo
River 120 kilometres south

into the core of Yasuni.

Otobo and his family have
heard about an expansion plan,

to connect all of the roads,
with tremendous implications

to the future
development of Yasuni.

- It is very well
documented that building

a new unprecedented access route

into primary
rainforest just triggers

degradation and deforestation.

We were able to demonstrate that

in very concrete terms
using satellite imagery

and remote sensing.

Two of the more invisible
problems from the sky

are Illegal logging and
unsustainable hunting.

And both of these problems
are greatly exacerbated

by these oil access roads.

- [Ryan] These roads act
like hypodermic needles,

allowing colonisation and
subsequent deforestation.

Recent censuses estimate
that nearly 50% of the Waorani

have left the forest and
flocked to the oil roads.

Combined with the influx
of Quechuan colonists,

the toll on wildlife is immense.

Hunters fill the forest
armed with guns.

Dozens of species of monkeys,
birds and other wildlife

are poached en masse,
turning Yasuni

into a bush meat factory.

In Pompeya North, one of the
region's most prominent bush

meat markets, people
living off the road reportedly

get free transportation
by the oil companies

along Yasuni's Maxus Road
and across the Napo River

to a poorly regulated market.

People pour off the
boats with bags of live

and dead animals for sale.

- [Ryan] With the bags, come
crates of empty beer bottles.

Most of the money earned
by selling wildlife goes right

into buying alcohol to bring
back to the communities.

- [Ryan] Alcoholism is a
growing problem, and the disease

is alive and well
here in Yasuni.

After travelling eight
days on four rivers,

we arrived to Pindo,

made our way to the Auca
Road and followed it South

to the Shiripuno River, the
halfway point of our journey.

In the morning we
entered the Intangible Zone.

This area, created in 1999,
is meant to protect

the people in isolation
from extractive industries.

Almost half of Yasuni
falls under its protection,

but it does little to
protect anyone living

in the conflict zone.

- [Ryan] Most people who
live in Amazonia travel by boat.

Rivers, like roads,
are another way for opportunists

to pour into the region.

Logging is illegal in Yasuni,

but many logging camps have
popped up along the waterways.

Loggers harvest rare and
valuable hard wood trees

such as mahogany.

Most of the trees that were
once accessible by road

are now gone, and the larger,

more desirable ones that remain

are hidden deep
within the forest.

As loggers flood into Yasuni,
violent confrontations

have broken out with the
people living in isolation.

In 2003, a group of assimilated
Waorani from Tiguino

went on a rampage,
murdering around 20 people

from the isolated
Taromanane clan.

The dead were mostly
women and children.

The raiders brought back
the Taromenane chief's head

in a sack.

Accusations were flung
about that illegal loggers paid

for the group to be wiped out

to make their logging
plots more secure.

In August 2005, a logger that
went by the nickname Rambo

was speared 33 times in the
heart of the intangible zone.

In April 2006, in the same spot
more loggers were ambushed.

- [Ryan] Andres
survived being speared.

William died from his wounds.

- [Ryan] As logging,
colonisation, and petroleum

activities have expanded
deeper and deeper into Yasuni,

the people in isolation
are being cornered.

As their space gets
smaller and smaller,

confrontations are inevitably
becoming more common.

In 2010,
a colonist family was ambushed.

There was only one survivor.

The Taromenane reached
international headlines

in 2013 when they
killed two Waorani elders

from the village of Yarentaro
near the Maxus oil road.

In retaliation,
Yarentaro sent out a war party.

Armed with guns, they
massacred more than 25 people

in isolation and kidnapped
two of their children.

Over the past 70 years,
over a hundred people have died

in this conflict.

More than half of them
are the people in isolation.

This number may seem relatively
small from the perspective

of a modern, mass society,
but when you live

in a village of two dozen,
it's genocide.

- In one article that
is very very important

in the constitution
mandates the government,

any government at any point,
to do everything needed

to protect the survival
of the people in isolation.

The violation of this,
not doing not protecting

the people in
isolation would amount

to the charge of ethnocide.

- [Ryan] However, the
danger of violent confrontations

has done little to
deter opportunists.

As the infamy of the
people in isolation grew,

so did a black market
for their exploitation.

Safari tours offered trips into
Yasuni to track them down.

I myself received
a shocking email

from an official member of NAWE,

one of the governing
bodies of the Waorani people.

- [Man] "Hello, friend.

I have the only
book for the taigari

found at the massacre.

You can buy it for $1200.

Also, I have tagairi corpse

that I found in the forest by

the Rio Cuchiyaku

It is for sale for
like $30,000."

- [Ryan] Yep.

He is offering to
sell me the corpse

of a person in isolation.

These are the
lengths people will go

to make a living
where jobs are scarce.

- [Ryan] For the inhabitants
of Amazonia, and the Waorani

in particular, venturing
into the Intangible Zone

to exploit the forest is
one of their few options

for making a living.

Most are only qualified
for unskilled jobs

in the extractive industries.

Otobo himself was once a logger

and I have seen his
work with a chainsaw.

Otobo no longer takes jobs in
the oil and timber industries.

Now, he promotes Boanamo
as a tourist destination.

- I think ecotourism is
something that he believes in,

and that we
definitely believe in.

It's a way he can
support his family.

If his community
doesn't do well,

they will make compromises
with oil companies

and illegal loggers,
and right now

that are united against all that

and are into the
conservation part.

- [Ryan] Unfortunately, tourism
is not a perfect solution.

Taking people into such
remote areas consumes

a lot of resources,
especially gas and motor oil,

both major polluters.

But compared to
their alternatives,

tourism seems to
be their best option.

Floating down the
Cononaco River,

we catalogued all 10
species of monkeys native

to the region. including
the rare Monk Saki

and the smallest monkey in
the world, the pygmy marmoset.

We saw capybara, coatis,

spectacled caiman
and more anacondas.

- [Ryan] Approaching the
confluence of the Cononaco

and Cururay Rivers,
we passed small hunting camps

and navigated through
military posts and checkpoints

and were reminded of the
war between Peru and Ecuador.

The conflict
militarised the region

and divided the territories
of indigenous peoples.

After three weeks travelling
Yasuni's waterways,

we ended our expedition after
spotting another dead tapir.

The one we'd seen earlier
had died of unknown causes.

This one was clearly a
victim of human impact.

- [Ryan] Otobo figures we
might as well at least give it

to somebody in the community
because they will eat it

rather than it just go to waste.

You can see it's been
shot several times.

- [Ryan] It's too bad

because they are
such beautiful animals.

(grunting)

- [Ryan] Back from our trip,
we analysed

all the wildlife observations
I collected in my GPS unit.

The data suggests a
decrease in wildlife diversity,

density and abundance
in proximity to roads.

We retrieved our camera
traps and discovered a world

that we would have
otherwise missed.

We detected herbivores
like the agouchi, agouti,

paca, prehensile-tailed
porcupine, red brocket deer

and tapir, both adults
and their striped babies.

There were omnivores
like the crab-eating raccoon,

red howler monkeys,
collared peccaries

and white-lipped peccaries.

And predators like the ocelot.

In just 48 hours, one of
our traps captured a puma,

a jaguar and one of the rarest
species in all of the Amazon,

The Short-eared dog.

Bearing witness to all
that I have seen here,

it is clear that the ongoing
destruction of Yasuni lies

in our global
dependence on fossil fuel.

By the beginning of 2013,
President Correa

terminated the ITT Initiative,

blaming a lack of
international Involvement.

In his defence, many of the
world's wealthiest nations,

and the biggest contributors
to climate change,

sat out the negotiations,

including my own country,
the USA.

This didn't surprise me,
for the USA was

one of the first
and biggest players

in sculpting the Yasuni
region as we know it today.

- All countries
that depend on oil

they have a curse because they
don't develop anything else.

They depend on it
because it is easier,

its easy money that comes easy,

but if the price of oil changes,
then they are in a problem.

We have had that in Ecuador,
it's a dependency

that you don't develop
other sources of income.

- [Ryan] The oil below Yasuni

is only enough to supply 25 days

of global demand,
and their reserves

will eventually run dry.

- [Ryan] In our chasing after
economic progress and profits,

are we really so short-sighted
as to wipe out a unique

and ancient people and one

of the most vital
forests on Earth?

- The Waorani are fierce
and fearless warriors,

but they are people,
and there is a lot more

to their culture than
what a lot of people know.

If Yasuni is destroyed,
the Waorani will be destroyed.

Waorani culture and rainforest
conservation are inseparable.

- In some way you know,
the case of the people

in isolation in
Ecuador is symbolic

of the fate of the world.

It's symbolic.

Because that is a small place,

a very small place compared
to the rest of the planet,

but it is a small place in
which this dilemma is at play.

This dilemma of
people's rights living

in their own environment, in
balance with their environment,

or those people perishing

because we allowed
that profits come

over the rights of people.

(speaking foreign language)

(dramatic orchestral music)

- [Ryan] On January 25th,
2016, everything changed

for Otobo and his family.

I flew out to Boanamo
as soon as I could.

(sobbing)

- [Ryan] Otobo's brother
Caiga and his wife Onenka

were travelling down
the Shiripuno River.

They were returning
from a supply run in Coca

when their boat's passage
was blocked by a fallen tree.

- [Ryan] Caiga was
speared nine times.

Onenka was impaled
twice and passed out.

- [Ryan] Onenka managed to
steer the boat back to Boanamo.

After an eight-hour journey,
she arrived in the evening.

It wasn't until the following
morning that she was airlifted

by military helicopter to
the capital city of Quito.

After several surgeries,
she miraculously survived.

- [Ryan] Caiga's
resting place is across

from his parent's house
marked by artificial flowers

and the spears
that took his life.

- [Ryan] Caiga was my friend

and he always put
a smile on my face.

He was one of the most
beloved Waorani in Yasuni

and his death will have
far reaching impacts

across the biosphere.

I'm fearful that Boanamo
will seek revenge.

For Waorani law is...

Now, things seem to
hold a different meaning.

We spent a day
catching hundreds of fish.

While they were being dried,
I wondered

if they were preparing
rations for war.

Seeing Omyegue
sharpening several new spears

worried me even more.

My optimism is wavering,

because this situation
seems impossible to resolve.

Any retaliation would
lead to the deaths

of more innocent people.

Otobo tried to ease my concern.

- [Ryan] Just four days
after I left Boanamo,

Obobo, his father Omegieve
and his brother Bartolo

were arrested in Coca on charges
of possession of firearms.

They were caught with two guns
and 125 rounds of ammunition.

Be it for revenge or
their own protection,

I can only try to
empathise with their grief.

(speaking foreign language)

(dramatic orchestral music)

After spending years
of my life in Ecuador,

Yasuni means much
more to me than it did

when I first came
here in search of frogs.

Yasuni embodies my
memories of all of the animals

I have seen,
the rivers I have travelled,

the forests I have walked,
and the people that I have met.

It is a place that has
brought me enormous joy

and an equal share of sadness.

As I try to remain
hopeful that Yasuni

and everything that it
embodies can still be saved,

I'm not sure where the forest

and its people will be
in 10 years from now.

For our future
remains in the hands

of three kinds of people.

Those that are
committed to protecting it,

those that are
actively destroying it,

and those who idly
sit by as it disappears.

♪ Like thousands of lanterns ♪

♪ Glowing with grace ♪

♪ In glorious silence ♪

♪ Descending through space ♪

♪ To a friend
A sister in need ♪

♪ Who is not alone ♪

♪ And they are surrounding her ♪

♪ And they will enfold
her outstretched hand ♪

♪ Into the light ♪

♪ It's hard to leave ♪

♪ It's always
been ours to give ♪

♪ And to receive ♪

♪ I want to be
shameless like the sun ♪

♪ Moving into you ♪

♪ Entering light ♪

♪ Welcome ♪

♪ Inch'Allah, Inch'Allah ♪

♪ Amazing grace
is pouring down ♪

♪ Fear not this light ♪

♪ We are on this light divine ♪

♪ Oh come, we move as one ♪

♪ Amazing grace
is pouring down ♪

♪ Fear not this light ♪

♪ We are of this light divine ♪

♪ Welcome, enter one ♪

♪ After a storm ♪

♪ I wanna let go ♪

♪ Of the things I've done ♪

♪ Without any worry ♪

♪ I wanna come home ♪

♪ Into the light ♪

♪ Into the unknown ♪

♪ I wanna be shameless ♪

♪ Like the sun ♪

♪ Moving into you ♪

♪ Enter light ♪

♪ Welcome ♪

♪ Inch'Allah, Inch'Allah ♪

♪ Enter one ♪

♪ Amazing grace
is pouring down ♪

♪ Fear not this light ♪

♪ We are on this light divine ♪

♪ So come, we move as one ♪

♪ Amazing grace
is pouring down ♪

♪ Fear not this light ♪

♪ We are on this light divine ♪

♪ Welcome, enter one ♪

- [Ryan] Please take action
now at YasuniMan.com.