Kambak Wayra Alvarado Andy is an Ecuadorian indigenous defender of collective rights and the rights of nature. Wayra is the son and president of the Kichwa Tzawata-Ila-Chukapi Ancestral Community, an indigenous organization that for decades has cared for its ancestral territory and protected it from invasions by mining companies in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Since assuming the presidency of the community in 2012, Wayra has led efforts to protect his community’s right to tenure and possession of its ancestral territory.
Wayra has led the defense of the ancestral territory of the Kichwa Tzaawata-Ila-Chukapi Ancestral Community—in particular their 627 hectares—against eviction attempts and legal proceedings that disregard the community’s indigenous territorial rights. Under actions led by the human right defender, Wayra, and his brother, Andrés Alvarado, the community filed a formal request for the adjudication of its ancestral territory in 2011. Technical studies demonstrating the community’s historical occupation of and cultural connection to the territory were submitted to government agencies. Between 2011 and 2022, the human rights defender coordinated efforts with the Ombudsman’s Office, FOIN, CONFENIAE, and human rights organizations, successfully compelling the Ombudsman’s Office to recognize the risk of violations of the community’s collective rights and forced displacement.
In 2023, he led the constitutional defense of the territory through a protective action to demand safeguards against potential evictions. Later, between 2025 and 2026, he led efforts to file complaints and defend the territory, successfully halting a new administrative eviction proceeding. . Today, Wayra is leading efforts to stop ilegal invasions and illegal activities on his community.
As a result of his human rights work, he has been the target of threats, attacks and criminalisation attempts. Wayra continues to lead efforts to ensure his community's ancestral territories rights and guarantee their right to live on their land in order to preserve and strengthen their culture, as well as their traditional ways of life.
