Affiliation:
1. Instituto Tecnológico Superior Universitario Oriente ITSO, La Joya de los Sachas, Ecuador
Abstract
The Yasuní National Park is the largest protected area in Ecuador; it houses excellent biodiversity of the
Amazonian tropical humid forest; it is the home of the Waoranis, an indigenous people in voluntary isolation
PIAV, who depend on the resources that the forest has, in this context, this article deals with the assessment
of the ecosystem services provided by the tropical humid forest of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the main objective
being to determine which of these services is the most important, in addition to showing the ancestral cultural
manifestations of this ethnic group; therefore The ecosystem services of the Waorani Nampaweno community,
located in the Dayuma parish, Orellana province, were analyzed. In the methodology used, interviews were
carried out with the two elders of the community and the inventory sheets of the National Institute of Cultural
Heritage INPC, later when applying the Likert scale, the results showed that the cultural ecosystem services
obtained 34 points, the highest score, Cronbach's alpha of 0.87 validates the reliability of the research, with
the food supply service being the one that allows survival, however, cultural services make visible the vast
knowledge and ancestral wisdom that they have treasured. It is transmitted orally by the "pikenanis" (elders)
throughout the generations. The highlights of the cards were preparation for the hunt, respect for animals such
as eagle and tiger, and the use of annatto as facial ink. Hunting and abundant food are celebrated through
dances. The crafts and clothing are made from fibers and seeds from the forest; however, threats such as the
invasion of their territory due to colonization and oil exploitation are acculturating young people, ending their
way of life, identity and loss. of its ancestral cultural wealth. The Waoranis are the forest's protectors, and
their right to their way of life linked to the Amazon rainforest must be strengthened.
Keywords: Ecosystemic Services, waorani culture, Amazonian tropical forest, plants from Yasuní Park.