Yasuni National Park
The Yasuni National Park ( Parque Nacional Yasuní Spanish ) is a national park in Ecuador with an area of 9820 km ² and a core area of approximately 5000 km ². The National Park lies between the rivers Napo and Curaray in the provinces of Napo and Pastaza, 250 km from Quito. The National Park belongs to the same flow Yasuní, a tributary of the Napo. The park was established in 1979 reported by the Ecuadorian government and declared in 1989 by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve.
The Yasuní National Park is of global importance for biodiversity protection. Through his prospective in many parts of wilderness state, through its intact variety of higher vertebrates, through its IUCN level - II protection status in a region in the otherwise strict protected areas are lacking and by the impact that climate change is already noticeable in this region of the Amazon, has moved the park in the interest of many researchers and conservation NGOs.
Within the national park different indigenous groups live largely isolated from outside influences. Due to the interests of timber and oil companies there are ongoing conflicts between different interest groups, such as environmentalists, human rights activists, government agencies and commercial exploiters of natural resources.
Ecology and biodiversity
The Yasuni National Park is one of the places with the greatest biodiversity worldwide. The scientists agree, given the exceptional biodiversity, the good state of preservation and its status as a cultural heritage through the unique value of the park. A total of 2,274 tree and shrub species are found in this park in a single hectare 665 species. That's more than all native tree species in the United States and Canada together. It also has 593 species have been recorded, so that the Park is also in this respect the most diverse places in the world. There are also 80 species of bats, 150 amphibians and 121 species of reptiles and more than 4000 different vascular plants per 1,000,000 hectares. Nowhere else on the planet, there are more species of insects than here. They are estimated to be 100,000 species per hectare. In the flora and fauna, there is also a high proportion of endemic species.
The park has the highest densities of amphibian, mammal, bird and plant species in the entire Amazon region focus. The temperature rise caused by climate change will also be comparatively moderate, whereby the park takes on special significance for the future protection of species. These unique characteristics of the National Park have various causes such as the stability of its climate, the major precipitation and high and over the seasons uniform temperatures. The different floors have spawned different types of ecosystems in dry and in the flooded forest areas. It should also be noted that the area of the park formed one of the Pleistocene refugia. In this phase, the earth's climate cooled dramatically and a large part of the Amazon region turned into a steppe landscape. The types are concentrated at a few places, the Pleistocene refugia so-called, in which - got the rain forest, and developed new species and spread - as in Yasuní. The Pleistocene began 1.8 million years ago and ended 10,000 years ago.
The area was not covered during the Pleistocene ice and should have on an acre more tree species than all of North America. It prevail in the area humid tropical rainforests ago with species such as Macrolobium acaciifolium, Coussapoa trinervia, Licania sp., Eugenia sp .. On not flooded country grows the Terra Firme forest on periodically flooded areas, Varzea and Irapo Forest in constantly flooded areas. In agroecosystems coffee, cassava, rice and sugar cane is grown. The bat - type Lophostoma yasuni is endemic in this national park.
Ethnology
The Yasuni National Park is home to two indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation from the rest of the world: the Tagaeri and Taromenane, both of which belong to the ethnic group of Huaorani. All three strains are already threatened by the illegal timber mafia and would be in the exploitation of existing there untapped oil reserves most likely doomed.
Oil deposits and Yasuní -ITT Initiative
In order to explore potential oil deposits, drilling were carried out in the National Park, where they discovered three oil wells and ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini called. After the first letter of the oil region ITT is called. Recent estimates of the ITT block 846, million barrels of heavy oil contains exploitable degree of 14.7 ° API. In an exploitation of that area estimated for 13 years about 107,000 barrels a day would be promoted. Thereafter, production would further twelve years gradually phased out. Although the proven reserves of the ITT field constitute 944 million barrels, there are potential additional reserves of 1.53 billion barrels, the extent, however, has not yet been determined because no 3D seismic prospecting has been carried out.
With the Yasuní - ITT Initiative Ecuador would undertake internationally binding to keep the oil reserves of the ITT field in the ground forever. In this way, the emission of 407 million tons of CO2 would be avoided in the atmosphere that would be incurred otherwise by the combustion of oil production. The actual value of avoided emissions is even greater when the effects of directly and indirectly associated with the promotion of deforestation, emissions from the use and construction of the infrastructure and the methane produced by the livestock industry of the newly settled areas, and other sources be counted.
The value of avoided CO2 emissions in the ITT is considerable: He exceeds the annual emissions of Brazil (332 million tons) and France ( 373 million tons ) and corresponds to the costs attributable to Ecuador in 13 years emissions ( 29 million tonnes). If one assumes the most recent value of the emission reduction certificates ( CERs) from U.S. $ 17.66 per tonne in the European market, the financial value of avoided emissions through the initiative is U.S. $ 7,188 billion.
Failure of the ITT Initiative
On August 16, 2013 Ecuador's President Rafael Correa announced in a televised address that the ITT blocks are released for oil drilling. He attributed this to the failure of the international community to provide the expected financial resources. At the time of promulgation of only about $ 335 million were promised and have actually been paid only 13.3 million. The premiums paid will now be repaid. On 3 October 2013, the Parliament voted by 108 votes to 25, to the government proposal to allow drilling for oil under certain conditions. Also from the oil drilling Native affected were skeptical of the ITT Initiative, as they were not consulted and feared that most of the money came not beneficial to them, but would have been used for political projects of President Correa.
Environment, climate policy and international balance of interests
The Ecuadorian government cherishes since 2007, plans for the benefit of the environment, climate change and indigenous people to abandon the exploitation of the great ishpingo - Tambococha - Tiputini ( ITT ) oil field in the east of the National Park and from the international community for half of its lost to let compensate oil revenues. This would for 30 years, reaching an estimated 350 million U.S. dollars per year, which are to be used for the sustainable development of the country.
The American biologist Clinton Jenkins of Duke University, sees the issue a test case for the international community to readiness appropriate for the climate and to pay environmental protection. Some journalists and politicians hold the threat of the State of Ecuador, a private biosphere reserve and the habitat of the indigenous population of the country when not balance the economic interests to destroy the world community, immoral, which has triggered a heated debate about morality and ecology.
The oil reserves in Yasuni National Park are estimated to date (2008) to 412 million to 930 million barrels. Although representing a billion value, it covers the world demand for oil at an average daily production of 72.3 million barrels in 2007 for a few days. This fact plays into the discussion about the abandonment of the exploitation of these reserves for the benefit of the receipt of the biosphere reserve a role.
The German Bundestag supported a waiver of the exploitation of the oil field against an economic balance of interests.
Since future generations and governments in Ecuador could decide otherwise in the question of the use of oil resources, should this possibility be considered in a contract. The entire target contract work is a pilot project in layman's terms.
After President Rafael Correa threatened in January 2010 to commence within six months of oil production in the ITT field, the out- Minister and the entire negotiating committee of the government resigned. The project was so on the edge - especially since at the same time preparing for the "Plan B" ( the oil extraction ) went on unabated.
The Climate Alliance Austria announced in February 2010 from a statement of support. Moreover, the EU and its Member States, the European Network of Cities Climate Alliance demanded in April 2010, " to support the Yasuní initiative financially so that they summon the European part within the industrialized countries ."
On October 10, 2012, the BMZ has taken in the context of development cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and Ecuador signed an agreement to protect the Yasuní region, focusing on the REDD model ( " Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation ", dt about " reducing based emissions from deforestation and destructive forest use "). German Development Minister Dirk Niebel emphasized that Germany would not participate in payments to cease the destruction of forests, but have developed a model that rewards positive action. Germany will provide 24.5 million euros for the protection of biodiversity and indigenous peoples. Thus, the Ecuadorian forest protection program " Socio Bosque " is supported, which provides next to the nature, measures to improve the sustainable development of the local economy of the region.