To prevent damage to the reserve, the president of Ecuador asks external bodies - states and private bodies - to cover the future profits from oil production, that is, the bodies are asked to donate money in exchange for a promise that "the reserve will not be damaged"
Yesuni is a forest reserve in Ecuador, its size is about 9000 square kilometers. Yesuni is also a Biosphere Reserve declared by the United Nations. The reserve embraces the Amazon forest which is considered one of the concentrations with a variety of important, unique and special species.
Underneath the variety of species, under the unique forest, there is an oil reservoir, the size of which is estimated at a billion barrels. The government of Ecuador has begun negotiations with companies that will produce the "treasure", negotiations despite the statement of the President of Ecuador that: "The preferred option is to leave the reserve and not damage it".
Before that, the president announced a year in which it is forbidden to search for oil in the area, in order to prevent damage to the reserve, the president asks external bodies - states and private bodies - to cover the future profits from oil production, that is, the bodies are asked to donate money in exchange for a promise that "the reserve will not be damaged". In other words, the area of the reserve will be purchased by donors and thus utilized.
The contribution will not only be to save the reserve but also to reduce greenhouse gases, since oil that is not produced will not burn and will not cause greenhouse gas emissions. The amount requested is 350 million dollars, an amount that is estimated to be the amount of revenue expected from six months of oil production.
Several parties responded positively to the challenge: Germany announced "seriously considering the idea"; Norway sends a delegation to Ecuador to test the idea; The World Bank is consulting on the issue with other organizations, - the Italian Parliament will vote to approve the project. All those interested are not worried about the "lack of oil that the project will cause" since they claim that humanity has already used resources beyond the need and it is time to pay back debts to the environment.
Of course, there are those who demand guarantees that the money will finance worthy causes, and the promise not to produce oil will also bind governments in the future, since in other countries in South America they claim that since the area is a "biosphere reserve declared by the United Nations", in the first place the Ecuadorian government was not allowed to allow exploration and drilling Experience, because if the project is successful, other countries will wait for the act: they will allow tests and if minerals are found, they will demand compensation for not producing them.
The current president in Ecuador was elected on the waves of sympathy of the residents, after he promised a "green" policy in which oil companies would demand compensation for the environment and its inhabitants, a promise that is now being tested when the Yasuni reserve is on the agenda. Some fear that if he does not contribute enough money, the president will be able to claim that "I tried the environmental direction but without success". The fear is that a lack of success will severely damage green bodies and their ability to continue the fight to prevent environmental damage. That is why there are many voices calling on the president to announce his commitment to preventing damage to the reserve, instead of a proposal that can be interpreted in different ways, the administration should announce:
"We will not touch or harm the Yasoni Reserve", after such a statement, a campaign can be launched to raise money to finance the conservation and to prevent damage to the reserve, a campaign to raise money that, as it seems, will provoke positive reactions from administrations and entities. In Kenya, at the mouth of the Tana River, a factory for the production of sugar is planned, the factory will allow large sugarcane plantations on expanding areas and provide livelihood for tens of thousands of people, but its establishment will damage unique water and marsh areas in which annual plant and animal species
In danger of extinction, in Uganda, a debate has been going on for several months about the government's approvals for the development of sugarcane plantations in Meriva Forest, a tropical forest with a rich biological diversity, both places can be saved by the "purchase" method, only if there is a "buyer"!
Maybe here too the "shepherds" will wake up to the idea and start working for the environment?
Dr. Assaf Rosenthal, ecologist,
Tour guide/leader in Africa and South America.
For details: Tel. 0505640309 / 077-6172298,
Email: assaf@eilatcity.co.il
