Protejemos Pachamama

Following the ratification of the new Constitution in 2008, Ecuador became the first and only country in the world to afford the environment Constitutional rights. Yet, ironically, it still boasts the highest deforestation rates in South America. Highland forests have all but disappeared and the rainforest is vanishing at an alarming rate. National Parks supposedly protect 18% of the Ecuadorian wilderness; regardless, environmental destruction continues unabated as the laws dedicated to safeguarding the environment have proved utterly ineffective. This is particularly alarming given that Ecuador is one of the most ecologically-diverse nations on the planet, largely due to its geography in which is boasts extremely varied habitats  ranging from the frigid and dry Paramo in the highest reaches of the Andes to the hot humid jungles of the Amazon basin.  Scientists, in fact, estimate that it is home to roughly 17% of the total number of bird species found on Earth. Whenever bounding off rocks into the rivers near my house or meandering through the forests, I spot some odd looking bird or snake. There are animals everywhere.

Given that it is highly valued by the international community, why have politicians failed to protect the environment?  The reasons are complex, but the Ecuadorian government is ultimately unable to protect the wilderness due to the underdeveloped economy and persistent poverty in rural pockets of the country. Ecuador boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the world; it is projected to grow at a rate of 6.5% in 2012. Yet, most of the economy is based on extractive industries such as oil and mining. Not only are these industries unsustainable given that there are a finite quantity of resources beneath the soil, but they wreak irreversible havoc on the environment. In the northern Amazon region, for example, oil drilling lead by Chevron scarred much of the rainforest; some rivers can now literally be lit on fire. This not only devastated wildlife, but it also had an extraordinarily large impact on both mestizo and indigenous communities in the area. In fact, an Ecuadorian court recently awarded local residents billions of dollars after they filed a class action suit against Chevron claiming that the multi-national giant based in the United States had knowingly dumped thousands of gallons of waste into rivers damaging residents´ health and the environment.

Extractive industries not only threaten the oil-rich northern Amazon, but all of Ecuador. In the southern Amazon—my home-- there is no oil beneath the trees. Yet, there are significant reserves of various precious metals ranging from gold to uranium. The Ecuadorian government, therefore, recently sold large concessions to both Chinese mining firms and Kinross, a Canadian multi-national despite significant local objection to the sale. Both projects have been quite controversial, but they are proceeding according to plan. Zamora has recently undergone a “Chinese Invasion” and there has been some muttering about the need for Chinese classes as opposed to English ones.

Regardless of the environmental effects of mining, the income generated from such concessions is needed throughout the country. President Rafael Correa has promoted Plan ITT- a scheme in which the international community pays Ecuador the value of the oil beneath the rainforest and Ecuador consequently takes measures to protect the jungle from exploitation, but it has not been embraced by foreign governments; the deadline has long since passed and Correa has not received the money needed to protect the oil, which ironically happens to lie in Yasuní National Park. Without the money, the oil exploration will occur much to the detriment of both the environment and indigenous communities living within the park.

Oil exploration is not only harmful due to the physical act of extracting oil, the blood of the Earth according the Awa beliefs, but also due to the increased infrastructure resulting from it. In Yasuní National Park, oil exploration will result in the creation of roads, thus drawing squatters into the park. Many such squatters, searching for land due to overpopulation in the Sierra, will then utilize slash and burn tactics to build farms, thus destroying the rainforest. Moreover, the arrival of sedentary farmers will destroy the livlihoods of nomadic indigneous clans within the park; as the region becomes settled, the resources and animals on which they survive will disappear.

The Ecuadorian government consequently faces a seemingly impossible decision. Does it protect the environment? Does it promote the well-being of its people by generating much-needed income through mining and oil exploration? Luckily, the solution need not be extreme. Throughout the country, there is a growing movement to promote eco-businesses or business models capable of generating income without destroying the environment.

Ultimately, those living in remote areas need improved access to social services (which must be funded by a cash-strapped government) and income-generating opportunities.  Yet, these resources cannot come at the expense of the environment. After all, my greatest weekends in Ecuador are often spent leaping off rocks into the pristine waters of the Bombuscaro and chasing enormous butterflies past orchids and waterfalls on my long runs through the campo.