By Earth's Newsdesk and the Rainforest Portal, projects of EcoInternet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
It is reported Ecuador will be compensated for leaving oil reserves in Yasuni National Park untouched. This is a major victory for Ecuador, the rainforest movement, and EcoInternet -; who was the first to campaign internationally on the issue.
Ecuador's government announced today it has reached a deal with the United Nations Development Program under which donor countries will compensate Quito for leaving oil reserves untouched in a large primary rainforest filled national park. Yasuni National Park [search] -; covering some 9,820 km2, or about the size of Massachusetts -; is thought to be one of Earth's most biodiversity rich sites and is also home to several nomadic Indian tribes. Yasuni's preservation (total protection, not "sustainable management" or "conservation") would spare Earth some 410 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that contribute to global warming; while keeping biodiversity, ecosystems and cultures fully intact. The official signing is reported to be held on Tuesday.
EcoInternet's Earth Action Network [1] was the first to campaign internationally on threats to Yasuni from oil exploration, successfully internationalizing the issue. "This marvelous rainforest and climate victory is very gratifying and exciting," states Dr. Glen Barry, EcoInternet President. "EcoInternet began to campaign in the early 2000s to protect Yasuni National Park from oil development, and continuously since. Like so many of our campaigns, it has just taken off. Our efforts were picked up by
Congratulations, Dr. Barry!
And thank you for your passion and hard work.
I am doing what i can, too, to stir up transformation.
Sincerely,
Nigel Strafford
wonderful, wonderful. So very glad to read this. thanks to Glen, John and all who pulled this off.
JK
Wow. Marvelous
This is a much better use of resources ….saving forests, not advocating for their destruction for biomass fuel. Congratulations.
SWallace
congratulations Glen!!! this is wonderful news for Ecuador!
have you had any contact with the Pachamana Alliance: http://www.pachamama.org They too are inspired and committed to Ecuador … we run symposiums to try and shift the consciousness (or lack of it) of the western mind to see what their values and life styles do to contribute to the devastation of the rainforests.
well done for your great work!
elaine, New Zealand
Good news indeed. Congratulations! Paul
Note much of the commenting upon this blog is now occurring on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ecointernet . Join the full discussion there please. gb
How can we express our thanks to
a) the government of Ecuador
and b) the government of Germany (and other leading donors who made this possible).
We should be just as keen to throw bouquets as to throw cricticism, where it is justified.
A real wave of thanks – we are watching you, and we do want things to be done right.
Note for the more radical among us: Yes, this is accepting the existing power structures, which are themselves part of the problem but they are the structures which we have right now.
Appreciate the leadership Ecuador has shown in relation to protection of the rainforests
It's so nice to read positive environmental news for a change. I wish we could have these kinds of conversations more openly in the US.
This is great news. Hopefully other countries will follow suit. It's a shame that it takes money to make this happen, doesn't it always though. Just goes to show what hard work and an intelligent argument can accomplish.
Tim
In many ways this is a surprising and startling victory.
While lobbying has been a factor, it is also important to give recognition to the social movements of Ecuador perhaps. The president has recently branded many as terrorists and perhaps the restistance from below is a big factor.