| Ecuador | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Peru and Colombia | ||||||||||||||||||
| National websites | http://www.ecuador.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Ministerio
Del Medio Ambiente
telephone: (593-2) 540-920/540-455/5-6-74 Instututo Ecuatoriano Forestal Y De Areas Naturales Y Vida Silvestre Ministerio De Agricultura Y Ganaderia Instituto Nacional De Investigaciones Agropecuarias |
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| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | Charles Darwin Research Station
http://www.polaris.net/~jpinson/welcome.html |
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| Major Natural Resources | Among
Ecuador's many natural resources are the world-renowned Galapagos Islands,
which are managed by the government of Ecuador in through the Galapagos
National Park Service, in conjunction with other NGO's such as the Charles
Darwin Research Station. These islands represent one of the most
unspoiled, biologically diverse areas on the planet. The endemic
species level is very high, Making it the most complex, diverse, pristine
habitat remaining - it is quite an anomaly in today's environment. Source:
Charles
Darwin Research Station
Another major natural resource for Ecuador is it's petroleum deposits. Ecuador is Latin America's third largest oil exporting country. Source: http://forests.org |
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| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Although
the Ecuadorian Government has been supportive of environmental issues for
a very long time, there are a considerable number of environmental concerns
at this time. The Giant Tortoise, a very rare species, is dying for
reasons that can only be speculated at this time. Many believeit
is from unbalanced nutrition related to high passion fruit consumption
or poisoning by herbicides, pesticides and/or fertilizers. Another
concern is the presence of human introduced species, which have caused
11 of the 13 full species extinctions, as well as the extinction of at
least 15 subspecies, races, varieties and populations. Also, management
of the territorial waters around the Galapogos, which have designated as
preserved, is very difficult to implement, and under much debate from critics
and corporations which seek to capitilize on the potential returns of the
area. Source: CDRS
Growing tourist trade on the Galapagos Islands is putting severe pressure on the unique array of wild life. About 46,000 tourists visited in 1993, ignoring the protective limit set at 12,000. Also, as a result, Equadorians seeking to benifit from increased tourism moved to the area, doubling the population to 12,400. Poaching by local residents is a concern, as well as rats, which are taking a substantial toll on the native flora and fauna. Los Angeles Times11-24-94 On the mainland of Ecuador, other environmental issues are prominent. On a postive note, the President Jamil Mahuad issued a decree which protects 2.7 million acres of old-growth rainforest from future oil exploration, mining, logging, and colonization. Unfortunatley this decree will be met with a substantial amount of opposition both from the indigenuous peoples who whish to develop the land, and the large corporations who seek to exploit it. An example of such exploitation which has occured in the past is brought to light in a current law-suit against U.S.-based oil-producer Texaco, which left a disastrous amount of toxic waste behind when it shut down operations in Ecuador. There are high amountsof aresenic and other toxins present on the sites. Many doubt the law-suit will be persued very heavily because Ecaudor is afraid to send such a message to other potential investiong companies, as the oil industry accounts for approximately 50% ofthe nation's revenue. Source: http://forests.org National policies encourage encroachment and colonization on natural lands. At the current 2.3% rate of deforestation the country will be denuded by 2025. Source: http://www.conservation.org |
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| Statistics | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Land area | 283,560 Sq. km note (includes Galapagos Islands) | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook/ec.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 12,007 ha | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook/ec.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | (Sq. km) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | 6,720 Sq. km | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook/ec.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Population: 11,6999,000 | Density: | 41.26 Sq. km | |||||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels: 11,114 ha | Fraction of land area protected (%): 39.3% | ||||||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas | List of Major Protected Areas | Information Center for the Environment | |||||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
|
http://data.wri.org:/1996/ | |||||||||||||||||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
|
World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
|
World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal | |||||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendices | CITES-listed Species Database | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | for a comprehensive list http://sedac.ciesin.org/pidb/pidb-home.html#bqs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | |||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | 12 December 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | 07 January 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | 09 June 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | no | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | 02 May 1991 Whaling signed. but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | ||||||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Waste, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands | ||||||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | 5,159 metric tons of freshwater fish per year, 3,099 of wich are from aquaculture | http://data.wri.org:1996/ | |||||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | 238 ha per year deforested | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | Galapagos Islands visited by 43,000 people 1993, ignoring 12,000 limit. In 1993, the value of the Galapagos tourism to the National Economy was conservatively estimated at $55 million U.S. dollars | Charels Darwin Research Institute | |||||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | paper and wood products, fishing | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook/ec.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Hunting | fishing | http://www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook/ec.html | |||||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Ecuador is Latin America's third largest oil exporter. 50% of the countries budget revenues comes from oil exports. | http://forests.org | |||||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | |||||||||||||||||||
| Development activities | Ecuador Rainforest Pays the Price of Texaco Oil Production | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | rats to the Galapagos Islands | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | ||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | |||||||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Daniel Michael Evans as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA