Despite resistance
Ecuador expands oil production in protected Amazon region
Oil pipelines on the border of Yasuní National Park in Ecuador. The government has developed a third oil field there.
© Georg Ismar / Picture Alliance
In Ecuador, despite resistance from conservationists and indigenous communities, a third oil field has been developed in Yasuní National Park.
Ecuador has expanded its oil production in a protected area of the Amazon rainforest. In the Ishpingo oil field, 3,600 barrels are now being produced every day, the government in Quito said on Wednesday. The oil field and the nearby Tiputini and Tambococha fields, where production began in 2016, are mostly located in the Yasuní National Park.
The three oil fields contain over a billion barrels of oil. Years of wrangling with environmentalists and the international community preceded its development. Ecuador’s left-leaning ex-president Rafael Correa tried to stop development in return for a $3.6 billion international compensation payment, but eventually gave up.
Ecuador’s President wants to double oil production
Current right-wing President Guillermo Lasso wants to double oil production in the country. The current production in Ishpingo flushes around 60 million dollars into the state coffers annually, the government said. The money should therefore be “invested in improvements to the education, health and safety systems”. The Chinese company CNPC, which is responsible for oil production in Ishpingo, is to drill 36 more wells.
Environmentalists and representatives of indigenous peoples continue to oppose the expansion of oil production in Yasuní Park. The area has one of the highest biodiversity in the world. It is also home to some of the last uncontacted tribal peoples in the world.