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Being one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park in Ecuador is something special, indeed. Harboring more tree species per hectare than the US and Canada combined; the greatest bird diversity on the planet; more trees, shrubs, and vines per hectare than anywhere else on the planet (many that have not yet been classified by Western science); numerous mammals and amphibians; and over 100,000 species of insects per hectare, it's biodiversity is some of the richest in the world.
Yasuní, a Biological and Cultural Treasure
Not surprisingly, Yasuní was named a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989. This designation requires park managers to limit activities in the reserve to cooperative ones that are "compatible with sound ecological practices, including environmental education, recreation, ecotourism, and applied and basic research.”
The area is also home to the Waorani, Shuar, and Amazonian Kichwa indigenous nations. Among these are groups that have chosen to refrain from contact with the outside world. Thus, both ecologically, and culturally, the Yasuní is unique.
The Yasuní is rich in something else, too – oil. It is believed an area in the heart of the park, known as the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) Block, sits atop 900 million barrels of crude oil estimated to be worth approximately US $7 billion dollars (a 2007 value).
Keeping the Oil in the Soil: Correa's Yasuní-ITT Initiative
To "keep the oil in the soil," President Rafael Correa has come up with a unique strategy called the Yasuní-ITT Initiative. The Initiative asks the international community to pay for half the value of the oil, to be paid over a 15 year period, in exchange for leaving it untouched. The funds are held in a trust overseen by the United Nations Development Program, and are to be used for clean energy, conservation, reforestation, and community development. If the government breaks these stipulations, the funds convert into debt.
So far, the Initiative has garnered around $250 million from governments, corporations, and individual donors. According to this recent National Geographic article on the Yasuní, President Correa's reaction to the funds pledged thus far is negative: "In response Correa has issued a succession of angry ultimatums, leading detractors to liken his proposal to blackmail. With the initiative stalled and Correa warning that time is running out, activity on the oil frontier continues to advance through eastern Ecuador, even within Yasuní’s limits"
Additionally, members within the indigenous communities worry that, because the ITT is a small area within the Yasuní, other areas are left more vulnerable. Lacking government-recognized ownership rights, they fear their territory will inevitably be slated for oil drilling.
Read our December blog explaining more about the Yasuní-ITT Initiative, and the environmental benefits we gain by leaving the area protected.
Defense Day of Yasuní: La Amazonía Que Nos Queda (the Amazon that Remains)
Because the success or failure of the Yasuní-ITT Initiative remains to be seen, the Yasuní's protected status is tenuous. In support of its preservation, our sister organization, Fundación Pachamama, along with others, will celebrate March 5th as Defense Day of Yasuní. Calling on supporters to defend the "the Amazon that remains," they will celebrate the day with live music, a photo exhibition titled "La Amazonía Que Nos Queda - Verde y Negro En-contraste," and play a series of short films including "The Cry of the Ecuadorian Amazon."
- Read more about the Yasuní and oil exploitation at sosyasuni.org.
- View recent National Geographic photos taken inside Yasuní National Park.
- Read the Declaration of the International Forum for the Defense of the Yasuní at amazoniaporlavida.org (in Spanish).
