In 2009 she visited the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Spain to propose that oil in her area could remain unexploited if compensation could be found and Yasuni National Park's habitat would be preserved.

She went to gain her degrees in law and in Social Sciences and Economic Policies at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja.

[5] The proposal was abandoned in 2013 after the president found that, despite all of the international support, less than 0.5 per cent of the funds required to mitigate lost revenue had arrived in Ecuador.

In 2014 she stood for the PAIS Alliance and was re-elected for a third term, having promised to spend oil revenues on toilets and drinking water.

[8] Rivas has been helping organise support for the indigenous people who are obtaining grants of land that will enable them to preserve their way of life.