Abstracto

Abstracto
El principal objetivo de escribir sobre los trópicos de la Amazona en Ecuador es para traer mayor conocimiento al publico sobre los problemas ambientales que se están llevando acabo, así para encontrar posible soluciones. El principal impacto humano que ha sido visto como uno de los temas principales en Ecuador es la perforación de petróleo que fue hecho por Chevron / Texaco en la década de 1960's-1990. Muchos estudios muestran que hay una tasa mayor de cáncer en los lugares donde la extracción de petróleo se practica. A su vez, hay una mayor tasa de incidencia de leucemia infantil, al igual, hay una cantidad alta de niños que nacen con defectos de nacimiento (Hurtig, San Sebastián, 2001). La extracción de petróleo también ha causado la contaminación de agua y aire. En si, escogimos este ecosistema porque vemos la gran necesidad de tocar fondo sobre estos problemas que no solo afectan a las personas indígenas que viven en esta area, sino que a la larga, también afectara a personas en todo el mundo. Por eso, es importante atacar este problema de manera global, unirnos, y demandar justicia para nuestro medio ambiente que al final de todo, es nuestra madre tierra la que nos da fuerza y vida.

The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

This map is showing Ecuador. The green is the Rainforest, the light salmon color is Achuar territory and Shuar territory (indigenous peoples). [Source: http://itsnotaviolin.com/off-to-the-amazon-rainforest/]

Spatial scale  of The Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador.

In a global scale, the Amazon rainforest spans around nine different Latin American countries. Indeed, Brazil being one of them contains 60% of rainforest, Peru has 13%, Colombia 10%, and the rest of the countries like Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Ecuador have less amount of tropical rainforest.The amazon is the largest tropical rainforest, and it is one of the most bio-diverse regions. It consists of 390 million trees and plants, many of which are endemic. It also has countless species, many of which are unknown. (World Wild Life) 

The Amazon in Ecuador is known as “The Lungs of our Planet” because Its vegetation allows the recycling of carbon dioxide into oxygen and fresh water. Perhaps, 25% of our oxygen, and 1/5 of our fresh water is produced in this area.

The Amazon tropical rainforest in Ecuador extends to 120.000 km² out of 283,520 km².
(Ecuador, Oriente 2010) 

People have impacted this ecosystem in a very negative way  

The ecosystem in the tropical rainforest of Ecuador, especially in the orient, is ugly. Over 80% of the tropical rainforests has already been destroyed, leaving many species globally threatened. Only about 10% is land that has not been affected by humans (Hurtig, San Sebastian 2001). 

The Yasuni National Park is no longer protected. The president Rafael Correa signed a law that allowed oil companies to go in and drill below one of the most biodiverse places in the Amazon, in where numerous amount of indigenous groups live. This is bad because Yasuni was one of the few areas protected in the Amazon of Ecuador (Rainforest, Destruction 2013). 

Texaco, now Chevron, discovered oil in the Northern part of the Ecuadorian amazon in the late 1960's. It exploration and invasion involved cutting down thousands of trees, also known as trail clearing. Indigenous groups like Cofan, Siona, Secoya, Kichwa,and Huaroni live in Ecuador (Ecuador, Oriente 2013). They have been and continue to be affected by the invasion of modern industries. Texaco’s oil extraction system was made with cheap technology that led to extreme environmental consequences. Texaco carved 350 oil wells, and left more than 18 billion of toxic wastewater (including drilling muds, natural gas, petroleum, and water contaminated). A great amount of species and plants are in threat of extinction, many of which are endemic to this area. (Herrera, 2005)

(http://chevrontoxico.com)

Benefits people get:

1. Oil
2. Wood
3. Water
4. Mining 
5. Oxygen 

Protected areas

There are a total of 45 national parks and reserved areas in Ecuador, in which only a minimal amount protect the tropical rainforest of the Amazon in Ecuador. 

• Cuyabeno National Park (1979)

• Limoncocha Biological Reserve Ecuador (1998) located in Sucumbios Province

• Yasuni National Park has been protected ever since the year 1979. Until recently in November 2013, president of Ecuador Rafael Correa signed a contract with an oil company to go into the Amazon and start oil drilling. No longer will this area be protected (Areas Protegidas, 2013).

• Yacuma Reserve and Ecolodge Is a protected area in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador by the Environment Ministry of Ecuador. It is located in the upper basin of the Amazon. It contains over 340 birds species, àmamales, insects, reptiles, plants, and trees (Yacuma Jungle Lodge). 

The status of the protected areas

Both the Cuyabeno National Park and Limoncocha Biological Reserve Ecuador are few of the largest reserve areas in Ecuador. It status is in good conditions.  

For Yasuni, if nothing is done, it will grow to be bad like all the other areas in where oil drilling has been present. It holds a threat of deforestation, oil drilling and illegal logging.

What is likely to happen in the future to that ecosystem?

If oil extracting keeps happening, their is a threat to clean water. Indigenous families will not have access to clean water. As well, animals and plants are in great threat of extinction (Deep in the Amazon, 2013). If this continues, and nothing is done, the chances of us having a clean and healthy environment will be very low. 

(http://chevrontoxico.com)

What can be done to maintain balance between people and the ecosystem?

In order to maintain a balance between people and the ecosystem, we should limit the amount of oil extracted from earth, and reduce the use of oil. Their should be a balance between how much oil we get from the earth, to how much we consume.

We can start using energy cars, which do not require oil.

Another solution is, we can also organize campaigns advocating for a socially just environmental world, thus, standing in solidarity with the people being most affected at this time. 

Brief Description and why did we choose the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. 

Certainly, Ecuador's name comes from the Equator, for the Equator divides the country unequally. The Tropical Rainforest in Ecuador is considered one of the most biodiverse ecosystem in the world. In fact, despite its small size, Ecuador is compose of four different regions. The coastal plain is a region where a lot of bananas are grown, making it one of the main exporter in this fruit. The Andean Upland has open farmland. In the oriente, this is the part we are mainly concentrated in, has a lot of oil. The Galapagos Island is known for its volcanoes. It is west of Ecuador, in where numerous of species and plants live (National Geographic 2012). 
As well, as mentioned before, the Amazon in Ecuador is known as “The Lungs of our Planet” because Its vegetation allows the recycling of carbon dioxide into oxygen and fresh water. Perhaps, 25% of our oxygen, and 1/5 of our fresh water is produced in this area.
Ecuador in itself, is ranked seventeen most megadiverse country in the world, with numerous animals and plants.

We chose this ecosystem because we saw the need to share the issues that have been going on for years in this area. We also thought it is empowering to see how different indigenous groups within this area stand up and are fighting back for justice to be made. How perhaps, these issues are not only problems that pertain to indigenous groups that are being affected directly, but it is a problem that should be addressed at a global scale, for in reality it is us, the consumers in first world countries who also have a responsibility to take action. 

Human Impacts on the Ecosystem!

The main human impact that has been seen as one of the main issues in Ecuador is

the oil drilling that was done by Chevron/Texaco in the late 1960's-1990's. Many studies show that there is a higher cancer rate in places where oil drilling is practice. As well, a higher rate of incidences of child leukemia, and children born with birth defects (Hurtig, San Sebastián 2001). Oil drilling has also caused the contamination of water and air.

Due to deforestation, many of the native vegetation has been eliminated. Indeed, the practice of clear-cutting has caused mass extinction of plants and species in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador.  

Because of Chevron occupying the space in the Amazon the oil has sunk into the oil, water and impacted both the environment and the people living there! There is an extreme rate of cancer in children and birth defects and miscarriages with pregnant women. (1)

Ecuador is suffering because of a multinational corporation: Texaco (now known as Chevron). This is an example of when profit is put before people and the environment. the indigenous people of Ecuador live off the land and need the water for drinking, bathing and fishing and because of the oil leaking into it they are suffering tremendously! (2)

To learn more watch this video: http://vimeo.com/54970008

"The Ecuadorian communities were the victims of exploitation by a multinational corporation, Texaco. Their lives, and that of their children, are affected by the toxic waters that leaked into water sources on which they are dependent. This is the real issue, and it is a story that is all too common throughout the developing world. With their legal team on trial, who will pursue justice for the Ecuadorian plaintiffs now?" (3)

1 Childhood Leukemia Article
2 Chevrontoxico.com
3 Huffington Post: Ecuadorian's Victims Struggle for Justice against Chevron

The Ecosystem: Historic

In terms of the ecosystem history, the tropical rainforest in the Amazon of Ecuador has been in existence for more than 54 million years. Water from lakes, rivers, and lagoons were all clean (Adital, 2013). There was no oil contamination, and no threat of species extinction. There was no oil drilling, and indigenous families did not fear of having contaminated water. Also, the logging of tees and plants affects them, for they use plants and herbs as a source for medicine.