▁river . ▁Anal ys es ▁of ▁rit ual ▁songs ▁to ▁plants ▁reve al ▁that ▁plant ▁species ▁evol ved ▁from ▁a ▁former ▁human ▁state . ▁In ▁the ▁former ▁state , ▁plants ▁are ▁regarded ▁as ▁est r anged ▁lo vers ▁or ▁children . ▁There ▁is ▁an ▁intr insic ▁frag ile ▁relationship ▁between ▁humans ▁and ▁plants ▁because ▁the ▁cause ▁of ▁the ▁est r ang ement ▁is ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁due ▁to ▁la z iness ▁or ▁sexual ▁lo osen ess . ▁T ending ▁to ▁plants ▁is ▁a ▁spiritual ▁action ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁ch ore ▁they ▁are ▁treated ▁as ▁children ▁or ▁lo vers . ▁ ▁Polit ics ▁ ▁After ▁a ▁powerful ▁protest ▁of ▁the ▁Amazon ian ▁K ich was ▁held ▁in ▁Past anza ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁the ▁E cuador ian ▁state ▁handed ▁over ▁the ▁rights ▁to ▁ 1 , 1 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁ha ▁of ▁land ▁for ▁their ▁use . ▁ ▁[ N acional idades ▁y ▁pue bl os ▁del ▁E cuador : ▁para ▁av anz ar ▁junt os ]. ▁Qu ito , ▁E cuador : ▁Conse jo ▁de ▁Des ar rollo ▁de ▁las ▁Nacional idades ▁y ▁P ue bl os ▁del ▁E cuador , ▁CO D EN PE , ▁ 2 0 0 3 . ▁pp .   6 2 – 6 4 </ ref > ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁President ▁Rafael ▁Cor rea ▁initi ated ▁a ▁project ▁to ▁preserve ▁the ▁Amazon ian ▁rain for est . ▁The ▁Y as uni ▁initi ative ▁for ▁the ▁r uling