1Corresponding author; e-mail: matt@saveamericasforests.org
1744-7429/asset/BTP_centre.gif?v=1&s=7cf9a17c9923e15dfb863b6580b8940700bda444)
Leaving the Oil Under the Amazon: Ecuador's Yasuní-ITT Initiative
Article first published online: 26 OCT 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00587.x
© 2009 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2009 by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Additional Information
How to Cite
Finer, M., Moncel, R. and Jenkins, C. N. (2010), Leaving the Oil Under the Amazon: Ecuador's Yasuní-ITT Initiative. Biotropica, 42: 63–66. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00587.x
- †
1Corresponding author; e-mail: matt@saveamericasforests.org
Publication History
- Issue published online: 4 JAN 2010
- Article first published online: 26 OCT 2009
- Received 29 June 2009; revision accepted 13 August 2009.
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- Amazon;
- climate change;
- Ecuador;
- oil development;
- Yasuní National Park;
- Waorani
ABSTRACT
Oil and gas concessions now cover vast swaths of the western Amazon, including protected areas and indigenous territories. The Yasuní-ITT Initiative, Ecuador's innovative proposal to leave nearly a billion barrels of oil locked beneath Yasuní National Park, is the first major effort to reverse this trend. We provide a concise overview of the initiative, including an in-depth look at its widely lauded goals of protecting biodiversity, respecting indigenous peoples' territory, and combating climate change. We also discuss the proposal's lingering caveats, such as technical questions regarding the generation of financial resources to replace the forgone oil revenue. We conclude that the Yasuní-ITT Initiative is a potentially precedent-setting advance towards avoiding damaging oil and gas development in sensitive areas.