Yasuni (habitat Destruction)

Final Term Paper: Habitat destruction

Have you ever heard about the Yasuni-ITT? Well the Yasuni-ITT or Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini National Park is the home for thousands of unique species in the world. This park is the most biologically diverse spot on Earth. To give an idea of how important this park is, I found this information “The ITT Yasuni Park in one acre has more species of trees and shrubs that U.S. and Canada together. In addition there are found no less than 150 species of amphibians, 121 reptiles, 596 birds, 200 mammals, 500 fish and 4,000 plants.” (Gobierno Nacional Del Ecuador )The Yasuni Park is located in Ecuador and have an area of 9,820 square kilometer, this area is primarily rain forest. The park was designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1989. This habitat besides that being rich in animal and vegetal population is also home of the Huaorani indigenous people. Yasuni is home to two communities the Taromemane and Tagaeri who choose to remain in voluntary isolation. Base on all these important facts the Ecuadorian Government led by his president, Rafael Correa decide to propose the Yasuni-ITT initiative which is basically a commitment to maintain indefinitely unexploited reserves of 846 million barrels of oil in the ITT park and avoid the destruction of this habitat.

“Our mission is to protect an important part of the planet that brings balance to the ecosystem and is home for thousands of unique species in the world. With accurate knowledge and based on environmental awareness, the aim is to raise the necessary amount of funds for the plan B about the exploitation of oil.

Our goal is to raise 3.6 billion dollars, which is the equivalent amount to the 50% of the resources that would result from oil extraction. Besides the conservation of this block, it’s avoiding deforestation and protecting the ecosystem that lives here.”(Gobierno Nacional del Ecuador)

This initiative caused intrigue in a significant sector of the global population, especially in their own citizens, this cause a giant movement in favor to the proposal. This initiative is one of the first ones on its kind in this country, this help to be so widely accepted and even more with the easiness we have in the 21th century. Many young people and immigrants from this country, who have a better access to information and a better perspective about global ecological problems, have collapsed social networks with messages or images in support to this movement. They just want this habitat to don’t be destroyed. The main point of the people supporting the idea of conservation of this habitat is the reduction on the CO2 emissions. Ecuador just wearing this plan, will avoiding the production of 407 million tons of CO2. This number of reduction of CO2 in such a small country is phenomenal; it is even bigger that the reduction acquired by big potencies such is Brazil and France. The biggest question that the supporters to this idea will make you is, Why to keep extracting oil when there is technology to produce energy in many better ways. Scientifics around the world are coming with splendid ideas in how to produce bio energy, so the extraction in the block 31 of the ITT park it’s no justified due to the high cost of destruction in this unique habitat.

As there are people who support this proposal, there are also people who think it is nothing more than a crazy liberal idea of the new revolutionary government of Rafael Correa. Many government opponents have said this campaign will not be feasible because the monetary interest behind the oil is way too high. They also claim that the way in which the Ecuadorian government is move to acquire aid was not the best. Countries like Germany would give the first seed for conservation of Yasuni but, it was responsibility of the Ecuadorian government to get support from other major nations. Ecuador government may did a mistake in seek help in the wrong nations like Iraq without taking into account that this could generate unrest in other nations such as United States. Other people

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