Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
been risky in their giving, but have relied on their traditional “best-bet”
strategies, reinforcing the relationships. Informants complain of nepo-
tism, cronyism, and corruption.
While in many cases, the national-level dependent organization
cooperates with the INGO on shared goals, and there are numerous
“win-win” possibilities, ecodependence comes at a cost. The most
obvious problem is that these groups lack autonomy in goal setting.
When there is funding for conservation, groups work on conservation.
When the funding shifts to sustainable development, groups work on
sustainable development. If there is no funding for air pollution, groups
do not work on air pollution. One disgruntled NGO leader explained,
“They [INGOs] have plenty of money for their own project ideas, but
not for ours.” Another noted, “We are dancing to the rhythm of the
donors.” In this way, the national agenda is written abroad. In Ecuador,
like most of Latin America, there is no tradition of philanthropy, and
large NGOs cannot rely on membership for their funding base.
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A second major problem is that the international funding process
breeds competition rather than cooperation among national groups. The
INGOs distribute a request for proposals for projects they would like to
see completed. Then, the national groups compete to secure limited
project funding, often withholding scientifi c information from each
other. This splits the organizations, which could potentially be working
together for a common agenda. These groups become more like consul-
tants exchanging services for fees rather than groups organized for a
common end. In this type of project funding, it is diffi cult for them to
form alliances with other like-minded groups because they are going
from proposal to project to proposal, and so on, working for a paycheck
and to fund their programs rather than working for a common agenda
with other national groups. These groups are self-aware and seek funding
independence or “sustainability,” though none have achieved this.
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They
also say that the biggest failure of Ecuadorian environmentalism is the
failure of organizations to work together on a common agenda. Other
Ecuadorian groups that fi t this profi le include Aves y Conservación and
EcoCiencia.
Type 3: Ecoresistance Organizations
This type of group receives little to no environmental goods from abroad
and they focus on issues that groups in the global North would frame
as “environmental justice” (however, they are not framed that way in
Ecuador). Their websites are not translated into English for the ease of
