Manari Ushigua is a traditional healer and leader of the Sapara Nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Sápara Nation is recognized by UNESCO as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Manari has been a key figure in the indigenous movement of Ecuador as the Vice President of CONAIE (The National Indigenous Organization of Ecuador) from 2013-2016, and as the President of the Sapara Indigenous Federation from 1999 to 2012.

Manari has participated in international events, like COP21 UN Climate Summit and the UN Universal Periodic Review of human rights, raising awareness about the threat to his homeland. As a defender of indigenous rights, he has managed to conserve more than 276,000 hectares of primary forest threatened by extractive industries. Manari is the co-founder of the Naku Center, creating a new economic model in the Amazon that is based around cultural and forest preservation.