On October 15, following a tumultuous and violent electoral process, Daniel Noboa was elected to be Ecuador’s new president. As the son of the banana magnate, he unmistakably represents the interests of the Ecuadorian business class and the neoliberal policies of the outgoing administration of Guillermo Lasso, who was the CEO of a major bank.

Noboa’s tenure will be a transitional government lasting only 18 months, due to Lasso’s declaration of a “muerte cruzada“ dissolving congress and convening new elections, and he faces seven pressing challenges concerning the Ecuadorian Amazon and the country as a whole.

We question whether he will prioritize the protection of nature and the rights of Indigenous peoples as he promised during his campaign or – more likely – carry on with the extractivist agenda of prior administrations and continue to disregard Indigenous rights.

Among Noboa’s many immediate and critical challenges, we consider these to be the most urgent...