Born from the Quechua wisdom of the Andean highlands, Buen Vivir—known as Sumak Kawsay in its original language—represents more than a philosophy. It is a way of being.

The concept of Sumak Kawsay calls for a reimagination of how we view ourselves in relation to the natural world. It rejects a concept of being based on humanity’s conquest of nature and our one sided extraction of its benefits. It builds from the idea that we are an interconnected part of nature, and that our relationships with it should be reciprocal. This philosophy supposes a way of living that acknowledges nature as a composition of living subjects with rights of their own that must be respected.

Often referred to by its Spanish name Buen Vivir, this popular movement has advocated for a more sustainable relationship between human development and ecosystems. Buen Vivir was incorporated into both the 2008 Ecuadorian constitution under Rafael Correa’s administration and the 2009 Bolivian constitution under the presidency of Evo Morales.

The political platforms of both leaders derived their strength from large and organized indigenous coalitions that began to promote the concept of Sumak Kawsay in response to the neoliberal market reforms of the 1990s and the growth of extractive industries that followed. In Ecuador, The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) was a driving force behind the emergence of Buen Vivir as a national ideology and is often cited as “the best-organized and most influential indigenous movement in Latin America.

In Bolivia, powerful indigenous led social movements and trade unions had been gaining support since the 1990s, and eventually elected Bolivia’s first indigenous Ayamara president in 2006, Evo Morales. In 2009, Bolivia’s new constitution adopted ideas from Sumak Kawsay in a referendum that ratified the cultural autonomy of the indigenous majority and enshrined the rights of nature in law. However, these states have been subject to criticism for perpetuating new forms of extractivism to pay for social spending. Despite the shortcomings of its implementation, there is much to learn from looking back on the triumph of Sumak Kawsay’s anti-extractivist platform in Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as from the tenets of the philosophy itself.

Buen Vivir Across Latin America

The meteoric rise of Sumak Kawsay provided a source of inspiration for similar movements across Latin America. For example, the Plan de Vida of the indigenous inhabitants of the Lacandona Jungle in Chiapas, Mexico was formulated in response to the encroachment of logging companies in 2008. Stressing the interconnectedness of local traditional culture and the jungle ecosystem, this declaration rejects all infringements on the self-determination of communities by extractive industry and the state. Such attacks on the region’s biodiversity directly impact the web of life in which local communities are enmeshed.

In Colombia, Sumak Kawsay’s ideals have come to the fore since the election of Gustavo Petro in 2022. His minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, has advocated for expanding protected zones, restoring ecosystems, curtailing extractivism, and enacting economic ‘degrowth’ to bring economic activity back into balance with the living world. Additionally, Colombia recently held the COP16 summit on biodiversity in the city of Cali, where new agreements were made on indigenous consultation for matters of biodiversity governance.

A Collision of Green Energy and Green Extractivism

From a broader Latin American perspective, extractive activity continues to encroach on ecosystems connected to the livelihood of indigenous communities. In recent decades, the rise of green energy and other advanced technologies have precipitated the extraction of new valuable commodities for the world market such as lithium. This so-called ‘green extractivism’ comprises a part of the larger primary commodity export boom that has characterized Latin American development in the 21st century. 

The intensification of extractive activity in Latin America implores us to revisit the philosophy of Sumak Kawsay. Various forms of development continue to threaten ecosystems across the planet today, many of which are under indigenous stewardship. This is one context in which Sumak Kawsay remains relevant to indigenous communities across Latin America and environmentalists everywhere. However, its idea of recognizing nature as a composition of subjects worthy of rights is something that is also worth considering on an individual level. 

Reclaiming Our Relationship with Nature

Beyond its significance as a call for a new development model in Latin America, Sumak Kawsay can change the way we approach nature in our daily lives wherever we reside. Recentering its principles of harmony and reciprocity between our societies and the planet can help us to foster deeper connections with the natural world. This is fundamentally important to our well being in an age where many of us, especially those living in cities, can at times feel alienated from the natural world. Reconnecting with nature is crucial to our wellness.

To preserve indigenous culture, the planet, and our connection to nature requires us to revisit our fundamental relationship to the natural world. Sumak Kawsay draws from its indigenous roots to envision a harmonic relationship between people and planet. With ever increasing threats posed from extractive activity to biodiversity and ecosystem stability across Latin America today, it is well worth revisiting the ideas of Sumak Kawsay so that we may apply them to new contexts relevant to contemporary struggles for indigenous cultural autonomy and environmental protection. It can also reshape our individual experiences with nature outside of this context. By incorporating the principle of reciprocity into our daily lives, we can advance the unselfish cause of ‘good living’ to the benefit of ourselves, our communities and Mother Earth.

Sources:

 Sara Caria and Rafael Domínguez, “Ecuador’s ‘Buen Vivir’: A New Ideology for Development,” Latin American Perspectives, 2016, 20.

 “Buen Vivir: The Rights of Nature in Bolivia and Ecuador,” Rapid Transition Alliance, December 2nd 2018.

 León Zamosc, “The Indian Movement and Political Democracy in Ecuador,” Latin American Politics and Society, 2007.

 “Buen Vivir: The Rights of Nature in Bolivia and Ecuador”

 Ulrich Brand, Kristina Dietz, and Miriam Lang, “Neo-Extractivism in Latin America – One Side of a New Phase of Global Capitalist Dynamics,” Ciencia Política (Bogotá, Colombia : 2006) 11, no. 21 (2016), 130.

 Comunidad de Nueva Palestina, Comunidad de Frontera Corozal, Comunidad de Lacanjá Chansayab “Plan de Vida: Bienes Comunales Zona Lacandona”, Ocosingo, Chiapas, Zona Lacandona, 2022.

 David Caicedo Sarralde, “Colombia’s New Way Towards Living Well,” Versus, February 2nd 2023.

 “Biodiversity COP 16: Important Agreement Reached  Towards Goal of Making Peace with Nature” UN Sustainable Development, November 2nd 2024.

 Brand et al, 127.