JONDACHI FEST | ECUADORIAN RIVERS INSTITUTE

JANUARY 17 – 19, 2025 / TENA, NAPO PROVINCE, ECUADOR

WORLD CLASS JUNGLE WHITEWATER – CELEBRATING THE FREE-FLOWING JONDACHI!

JONDACHI FEST 2024 – EVENT SUMMARY

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Upper Jondachi Kayak Race held on January 19, 2024, and the huge turnout for the group descent of the Jondachi-Hollín Rivers held on January 20, 2024! Likewise, we appreciated all of the participation in the rest of the activities of the tenth annual edition of the Jondachi Fest which were held March 22 – 23 – 24, 2024 in Puerto Misahuallí and Ahuano. These activities were suspended in January, and had to be rescheduled due to the restrictions on public events imposed by the state of emergency in Ecuador, due to violence and insecurity. The interventions by the police and military during the state of emergency have improved security and reduced violence at the national level, and no recent incidents have occurred in the Napo province. For these reasons, the rest of the activities contemplated in the Jondachi Fest were authorized to move forward. While most areas are considered to be relatively safe, there are certain hotspot areas predominantly in and around large cities on the coast that are known to be dangerous and should be avoided. If you are visiting Ecuador during the current state of emergency, we suggest avoiding large, urban areas and traveling during the day with local transport services and tour operators who are familiar with local conditions, and participating in focused ecotourism activities with local guides in safe areas.

Gracias a todos y todas quienes participaron en la competencia de kayak en el alto río Jondachi el viernes, 19 de enero y el descenso de los ríos Jondachi-Hollín, el sábado, 20 de enero del 2024. Estas actividades fueron autorizadas por el gobierno considerando la naturaleza de estas actividades en lugares seguros donde no existe riesgo de violencia.

También, agradecemos su participación en las demás actividades de las décima edición del evento “JONDACHI FEST” que realizamos el 22 – 23 – 24 de marzo del 2024, luego que fueron suspendidas en enero, por la declaratoria del estado de emergencia, debido a la crisis de inseguridad y las amenazas de violencia y criminalidad en el país. Las intervenciones realizadas por las fuerzas armadas y la policía nacional durante el estado de excepción lograron mejorar las condiciones de seguridad y violencia a nivel nacional y últimamente no se han registrado incidentes en la provincia de Napo. Por eso las actividades contempladas en el Jondachi Fest fueron autorizadas en marzo del 2024.

Agenda (English) / Agenda (Español)

EXPLORE TOURISM ATTRACTIONS IN THE JONDACHI-HOLLIN-MISAHUALLI-NAPO WATERSHED CORRIDOR

The 11th annual Jondachi Fest will continue to celebrate, honor, and promote the Jondachi River as an invaluable resource for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity and paddle sports tourism in Ecuador.

We invite everyone to join us to make a unified call for the protection of the Jondachi and other strategic free-flowing rivers around the world.

At next year’s Jondachi Fest, we will celebrate the value and importance of the Jondachi River as a unique, free-flowing, world-class whitewater destination!

Help us to promote the preservation of the Jondachi River

We are asking you – international and local river lovers – to upload your best images and videos from your favorite moments on the river during the festival. Share your photos and videos to Jondachi Fest + Piatua Libre social media with the hashtag #RIOSTURISTICOS to help demonstrate the value of these world-class rivers as irreplaceable adventure tourism destinations. We are hopeful that this movement will help prove to local policy makers that YES these rivers are RESOURCES that deserve appropriate protection and management.

THE PROBLEM

Our rivers generate important benefits for the local economy. Unfortunately their value as strategic tourism resources is not considered in planning and development, and we are rapidly losing the quality and integrity of freshwater ecosystems in Ecuador.

OUR PROPOSAL

We propose the designation of certain riparian corridors as PROTECTED AREAS that will form part of a national strategy for the preservation of biodiversity in freshwater aquatic ecosystems and ecological connectivity between the Andes and the Amazon.

We propose using the PROAMAZONIA program to provide incentives to landowners for the conservation of riparian forests, and the development of sustainable alternatives for productive activities in appropriate locations, respecting the riparian buffer zones.

WHAT IS JONDACHI FEST?

The Jondachi River was slated to be dammed in January 2015. For the last nine years, the international paddling community has rallied together with our Ecuadorian counterparts in an unprecedented expression of impassioned solidarity through the Jondachi Fest. Jondachi Fest is a grass-roots, volunteer-driven, not-for-profit river festival and whitewater kayak competition that makes an urgent call to preserve the iconic Jondachi River as part of a FREE-FLOWING watershed corridor from the Andes to the Amazon.

The Ecuadorian Rivers Institute has maintained opposition hydroelectric development on the Jondachi River for over fifteen years. In 2012, the ERI presented a legal defense of the Jondachi in a renewed effort to stop the La Merced de Jondachi hydro project and keep the Jondachi flowing freely. The ERI is actively pursuing the unprecedented designation of the Jondachi-Hollin-Misahualli-Napo Ecological Corridor (the Ecuadorian equivalent of “wild and scenic river” designation — the first-ever endeavor of its kind in the country).

A 3-PART PLAN TO SAVE THE RIVER

The ERI is calling on the international community to support the three complementary initiatives of our defense of the Jondachi River:

1. LEGAL DEFENSE: Protecting the legal rights of the river

In 2008, in an inspiring political statement, Ecuador built into its national constitution an acknowledgement of the rights of nature – personified as pachamama in the indigenous Kichwa. In theory, the new law granted legal standing to natural entities such as rivers. Shortly afterward, the state-owned electric corporation announced plans to develop a poorly-conceived hydro project on the Upper Jondachi River – one of the most important paddle sports destinations in Ecuador. The ERI is acting on behalf of the Jondachi River to be sure its “rights of nature” are not disregarded.

The Ecuadorian Rivers Institute has opposed hydroelectric development on the Jondachi River for over a decade. In 2012, the ERI presented a legal defense of the Jondachi in a renewed effort to stop the La Merced de Jondachi hydro project and keep the Jondachi flowing freely. The ERI’s successful 2013 Indiegogo campaign brought in $5000 to fund the original Jondachi Legal Defense. (THANK YOU to everyone who supported us then and for your ongoing support!)

After more than two years of deliberation, the Ecuadorian government water authority REJECTED the ERI’s demand to cancel the water concession granted for the La Merced de Jondachi hydro project without taking into consideration tourism and recreational use of the Jondachi River, the errors, omissions, and irregularities in the water concession process, or the recommendations of their own government-appointed expert who advised that the project should be completely re-conceived.

The ERI appealed this ruling and we are still waiting for the highest-level administrative court in the country to resolve the case. Meanwhile, in December 2021, both the La Merced de Jondachi hydro project on the Upper Jondachi, and a reinstated version of the Jondachi-Sardinas hydro project on the Middle Jondachi, that was previously abandoned for lack of economic viability, were put up for international bid by the Government of Ecuador along with 19 other hydroelectric projects, including several other rivers with potential as paddle sports destinations.

LEARN MORE HERE: Amazon Headwaters under siege: 19 dams slated for Napo watershed

2. EDUCATION & OUTREACH: Jondachi Fest, an innovative model for watershed conservation

Last year, the international paddling community rallied together with our Ecuadorian counterparts in an unprecedented expression of impassioned solidarity to create the first-ever Jondachi Fest.

Jondachi Fest is a grass-roots, volunteer-driven community river festival and whitewater kayak competition that aims to promote the free-flowing Jondachi River as an economically viable alternative to hydro. The Jondachi Fest celebration integrates local facilitation and international participation with whitewater recreation and competition. With Jondachi Fest, the emphasis is on local involvement.

In 2015, the first Jondachi Fest enjoyed an international media reach of over 100,000 people, while local Ecuadorian media coverage of the event and the issue focused the eyes of the country on this tremendous resource.

LEARN MORE HERE: Canoe & Kayak “Endangered Rivers” digital feature: the Jondachi

3. CONSERVATION: Groundbreaking pursuit of international wild and scenic river designation

The ERI is actively pursuing the designation of the Jondachi-Hollin-Misahualli-Napo Ecological Corridor, the international equivalent of “wild and scenic river” protection — the first-ever endeavor of its kind in Ecuador.

The ERI intends for the proposed Ecological Corridor to be included in the Ecuadorian government’s new strategic plan to make the country a major low-impact adventure tourism destination. The Ecological Corridor initiative has been endorsed by the country’s Ministerio del Deporte (Ministry of Sports) and the Ministerio del Turismo (Ministry of Tourism).

If the precedent can be set for protection of the Jondachi under a new wild and scenic statute, the door will be open for future protection of other imperiled rivers in the Amazon Basin.