23 August 2013

Ecuador abandons co-responsibility conservation plan

Ecuador announced its plans to re-start oil drilling in the Amazonian Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the highest biodiversity per square kilometer in the Amazons. The decision comes after the collapse of a pioneering conservation plan that was designed to compensate Ecuador for an oil moratorium in Yasuni through raising funds, corresponding to expected oil revenues, from international donors.

According to the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa, the plan had sought co-responsibility in the face of climate change. An opinion posted on the Gulf Times’ website on 20 August argued that the protection of Yasuni is not just Ecuador’s responsibility as the rest of the world also benefits from the oxygen and fresh water generated from the park.

Source: The Guardian | Yasuni: Ecuador abandons plan to stave off Amazon drilling
Source: RFI | Correa anuncia explotación petrolera del Parque Yasuní, reserva mundial de la biósfera
Source: Gulf Times | Protection of Yasuni National Park is a Joint Responsibility