From cultural landscapes to carbon sinks: The semiotics of green extractivism in Ecuador

• There is now a growing consensus that tackling climate change will entail sequestering CO2 through processes of reforestation, forest protection, and other forms of land and resource conservation. • Carbon sequestration programs are controversial not least because they shift the responsibility for tackling climate change to countries and communities whose carbon footprint is comparatively small. • Drawing upon an original database of government planning documents from 2007 to 2025, we make the case that the Ecuadorian state used Indigenous concepts like Pachamama and buen vivir to justify the contradiction of paying communities to conserve land in a country that remains highly dependent on oil and resource extraction. • Theoretically, our analysis points to a broader understanding of green extractivism that entails monetizing cultural landscapes, habitats, and ecosystems whose “ecological services” are deemed valuable for reducing CO2 emissions and tackling climate change. • It also highlights the semiotic power of using Indigenous and environmental discourses to build state legitimacy in a context of contested authority and social unrest. This article explores the political legitimization of Programa Socio Bosque (PSB, or “Forest Partnership”), an Ecuadorian carbon offset program that uses payments for ecosystem services (PES) to combat deforestation, store carbon, and improve life for communities living in and around forest areas. By drawing upon an original database of official planning documents from 2007 to 2025, we contend that the Ecuadorian state used Indigenous concepts like Pachamama and buen vivir to justify the contradiction of paying communities to conserve land in a country that remains highly dependent on oil and resource extraction. Theoretically, our analysis points to a broader understanding of green extractivism that entails monetizing cultural landscapes, habitats, and ecosystems whose “ecological services” are deemed valuable for reducing CO2 emissions and tackling climate change. It also highlights the semiotic power of using Indigenous and environmental discourses to build state legitimacy in the agrarian frontier.