Ecuador's major indigenous organisation is preparing to hold protests in mining areas in an attempt to stop the plunder of resources near its communities.

The CONAIE indigenous organisation led powerful protests in June last year that near paralysed the country.

The Indigenous group took to the streets in 2022 to oppose the economic policies of Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso, sparked by rising fuel and food prices, which grew in size and strength as non-indigenous workers and students joined the movement.

Mr Lasso declared a state of emergency as the protests blocked exits, entries and ports in Quito and Guayaquil, and was the President was criticised for giving an effective green light to violent and deadly responses to the protests.

The President barely escaped an impeachment in a vote in Ecuador's National Assembly, with 81 voting for impeachment, 42 against and 14 abstaining, when 92 votes were needed to impeached Mr Lasso.

Last week CONAIE and an anti-mining group voted to oppose the expansion of mining in Ecuador because of its social and environmental harm.

The specific wording of the resolution said CONAIE would "prepare conditions of territorial defence" in areas where mining companies were present.

Reuters reports that CONAIE leader Leonidas Iza said measures would be "progressive".

"We want to say to trans-national mining companies, to mining business people in our country: don't invest more in mining because we are going to defend our land," he said.

A number of Indigenous and environmental organisations say the government of President Lasso has broken agreements made after last year's mass protests to place a moratorium on mining in ancestral indigenous territories until the legislature approves a law to outline community consultation rules for projects.

Indigenous groups also rejected a government announcement that it will declare "security zones" around some mining projects and have condemned illegal mining taking place in the Amazon.