The Organic Reform Law to the Organic Environmental Code (Código Orgánico del Ambiente, COA), published in the Fifth Supplement to Official Gazette No. 360 of September 2, 2026, expands the COA's climate change regime: it incorporates the treatment of loss and damage associated with climate change and financial instruments, and clarifies participation in carbon markets; it creates the Interinstitutional Climate Change Committee and the National Climate Change Registry; and it enables Ecuador's participation in regulated and voluntary carbon markets, including the mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

REDD+ projects, forestry, restoration, blue carbon, and other nature-based solutions must comply with state requirements for registration, authorization, traceability, and reporting, without private agreements or external certifications replacing them.

The reform preserves the non-appropriation of environmental services in accordance with the constitutional mandate, as well as of the carbon contained in ecosystems, and requires social, environmental, and collective rights safeguards, including consultation with or the consent of indigenous communities and peoples where applicable.

The new framework opens opportunities to structure and finance emission reduction or removal projects, particularly in the forestry, restoration, agroforestry, blue carbon, and value chain sectors. The consolidation of registration and traceability rules may facilitate participation in voluntary markets, international cooperative mechanisms, and corporate decarbonization schemes, provided that projects have state authorization and comply with the applicable safeguards.

This document is not a legal opinion; it is merely general informational material. If you have any questions or require specific advice, please contact us at the addresses indicated in this document.