Ecuador halts Amazon oil drilling in biodiversity hotspot

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Aug 2023 22:03

In a momentous and historic decision that reverberated through Ecuador and beyond, citizens of the country took a resolute stance against the proposed oil drilling in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

A Petroecuador oil processing center in Yasuní national park. Photograph: Rodrigo Buendía. (AFP via Getty Images)

In a momentous decision, Ecuadorian citizens voted against permitting oil drilling in a protected Amazonian area on Sunday. This region is a vital habitat for two isolated tribes and is also a hotspot for biodiversity.

By the early hours of Monday, more than 90% of the votes had been counted, and approximately 60% of Ecuadorians had rejected the idea of allowing oil exploration in Block 44 within Yasuní National Park. This park is renowned for its incredible biodiversity and is home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane tribes who live in isolation.

Yasuní was granted UNESCO's designation as a world biosphere reserve in 1989. Encompassing over 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres), it boasts 610 bird species, 139 amphibian species, and 121 reptile species. Notably, at least three species are found nowhere else.

This outcome is a significant setback for Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, who supported oil drilling by highlighting its economic importance for the nation. As a result of this vote, the state-owned oil company Petroecuador will need to cease its operations in this area.

The referendum coincided with the presidential election, where the final decision will be made in a runoff between two candidates: leftist Luisa González and right-wing Daniel Noboa.

It is worth noting that the country is currently in a state of political unrest following the assassination of one of the candidates, Fernando Villavicencio, on August 9th.