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

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.