For the purposes of analyzing the effects of environmental groups in Ecuador, Tammy L. Lewis decided to break down all of the organizations operating in Ecuador into four broad categories.These four categories were Eco-Imperialists, Eco-Dependents, Eco-Resisters, and Eco-Entrepreneurs.These four groups were further categorized based on their sources of funding and level of organization.Depending on these combinations of characteristics, the organizations can either fall into the Global North’s “environmentalism of the affluent” or the Global South’s “environmentalism of the poor”.While sharing the same overarching goals of environmentalism, these categories of organizations often have wildly differing methods and desires. The primary form that the environmentalism of the affluent takes is that of Eco-Imperialist organizations.These organizations are based in the Global North and operate branch offices inside Ecuador, sometimes with their own outside employees.Once they are established with in the country, the organization begins to channel international funds into the branch office in order to support their desired causes, mainly conservation and sometimes sustainable development.These Eco-Imperialist organizations receive criticism from Ecuadorian citizens due to the belief that they are a foreign influence that overrides the desires of the people who actually live in country.Additionally, many citizens are critical of the fact these organizations prioritize land purchases over societal development, as it is seen as foreigners buying up valuable resources that should be available to the country’s citizens and indigenous peoples. Although working slightly closer with the local communities, Eco-Dependents are very similar to Eco-Imperialists.Eco-Dependents are organizations that operate solely within Ecuador but receive their funding from international aid groups.Given this financial relationship between the two groups, the goals of Eco-Dependents often closely align with those of Eco-Imperialists.They are able to employ a full-time staff, but their funding may change drastically depending on the priorities of their donors.Like Eco-Imperialists, they work heavily with the Ecuadorian government to achieve their desired reforms and objectives.While being successful within Ecuador, many of its citizen compare Eco-Dependents to a “nonprofit mafia”, due to their extensive connections to Eco-Imperialists. While the environmentalism of the poor often takes very different forms from what the affluent organizations does, Eco-Entrepreneurs take some of their tactics and apply them to their smaller-scale operations.These groups often operate by charging a service fee for performing various actions that promote sustainable development with Ecuador.Their actions tend to focus on improving the aspects of the environment that directly impact the quality of life of the surrounding communities, such as access to clean water or green spaces.They operate in both rural and urban areas, leading to higher levels of awareness among the citizens of Ecuador.Because of their high visibility and investment in local communities, Eco-Entrepreneurs are viewed in a very positive light within Ecuador. Serving as the antithesis of Eco-Imperialist and Dependents, Eco-Resisters are small scale, community-driven activist groups that arise periodically within Ecuador.They groups rarely receive any international funding and rely on volunteers or grants for specific projects.Similar to Eco-Entrepreneurs, Resisters primarily work directly with the communities they operate in to champion specific causes or teach certain skills.Through their actions, they give these communities the skills they need in order to push for reforms from the government on the issues that most affect them.In addition to organizing local communities, Resisters are directly involved with the prevention of resource extraction and blocking state-led development efforts.However, these actions have resulted in Eco-Resisters gaining a mixed reputation among the citizens with Ecuador, as their actions preserve the environment but can limit job growth. When it comes to determining whether these various groups are having positive or negative impacts on Ecuador, the answer is not purely black or white.As much as Eco-Resistors and other citizens may deride the influence foreign entities hold due to Eco-Imperialist and Dependents, these organizations serve an important role in the Ecuadorian environmental movement.During later half of the 1900’s, the Ecuadorian government was heavily focused on increasing its rate of resource extraction.If it was not for Eco-Imperialist organizations like USAID and the Wildlife Conservation Society, large portions of currently protected land would have been destroyed for short-term economic gain.These organizations, although operating off of foreign interests, allow Ecuador’s environmental movement to keep its momentum when the Ecuadorian government is weak and unwilling to pursue sustainable policies.When the government regains its strength, the burden to continue the environmental movement is given to Eco-Entrepreneurs and Resistors in order to further education and foster approval for conservation.Given the disastrous history of foreign influence within Latin America, particularly by the United States, it is important that the citizens of Ecuador trust and share a bond with those championing environmentalism if Ecuador is going to ever succeed in reaching a sustainable future (After More than 50 Years, USAID is Leaving Ecuador, June 11, 2015 + Civic Freedom Monitor – Ecuador, July 29, 2019 + Ecuador, May 15, 2019). ·After More Than 50 Years, USAID Is Leaving Ecuador. (2015, June 11). Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/after-more-50-years-usaid-leaving-ecuador-n215621 ·Civic Freedom Monitor: Ecuador. (2019, July 29). Retrieved from http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/ecuador.html ·Ecuador. (2019, May 15). Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/ecuador