A part of the Amazon rainforest, considered one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, has become an approved site for oil drilling. This could begin in less than a year, after Ecuador has signed permits for the drilling. The permit allows for a state oil company to construct access roads and camps to prepare.
Loreta Tapia, Environment Minister, confirmed permits had been signed.
An environmental activist in Ecuador, Esperanza Martinez, has voiced his concern over the bad record of oil spills the company, Petroamazonas, in charge have.
The drilling will take place at the ITT block of the Yasuni park which is home to two uncontacted indigenous tribes. It also has a wealthier assortment of trees, birds, amphibians, and reptiles than the US and Canada put together.
Activists have been lobbying against the new oil development but recently their requests were rejected by Ecuador’s government, saying the organisers had failed to get enough signatures.
They have suggested this does not signal the end of their protests for Yasuni park. One activist stated:
“The whole process to defend Yasuni and the rights of nature is a battle we have fought for a long time… We will still fight for Yasuni and the Indigenous peoples."
