Yasuní-ITT Initiative facts for kids

The Yasuní-ITT Initiative was a special plan in Ecuador. It aimed to keep a lot of oil underground in the Yasuni National Park. This park is in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The plan started in 2007. Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, suggested it.

The idea was to stop oil extraction in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini oil field (ITT). In return, other countries would give Ecuador $3.6 billion. This was half the money Ecuador would get from selling the oil.

Yasuni National Park is one of the most diverse places on Earth. Many Indigenous people live there, including the Tagaeri and Taromenane people. They live in voluntary isolation. The initiative wanted to protect nature, these people, and stop CO₂ pollution. The ITT area held about 846 million barrels of oil. This was 20% of Ecuador's known oil. The plan also hoped to help Ecuador build a green economy. It would create jobs in renewable energy.

By 2012, other countries had promised $200 million. Ecuador then said it would go ahead with the plan. But in July 2013, a review found not enough money had come in. So, President Correa stopped the plan on August 15, 2013. Oil drilling began in the park in 2016. In 2019, President Lenín Moreno allowed drilling in areas meant to protect Indigenous groups.

History of the Yasuní-ITT Plan

The Yasuní-ITT Initiative began in 2007. President Rafael Correa of Ecuador announced it at the U.N. General Assembly. The goal was to stop oil drilling in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oil field. This field is inside Yasuni National Park.

Yasuni National Park is in eastern Ecuador. It is part of Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest. This area is known for having amazing biodiversity. It is also home to several Indigenous Amazonian tribes.

The park is thought to have about 846 million barrels of oil. This is about 20% of Ecuador's known oil. To prevent environmental destruction from oil, Ecuador offered a deal. They would permanently ban oil production in the ITT field. In exchange, the world would pay Ecuador $3.6 billion over 13 years. This money would come from public and private groups.

By stopping drilling, the Yasuní-ITT Initiative aimed to do three things. It wanted to save the region's diverse nature. It also wanted to protect Indigenous people living in isolation. Finally, it aimed to prevent large amounts of CO₂ from being released.

A special fund, the Yasuní-ITT Trust Fund, started in 2010. It was managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Many saw the Yasuní-ITT Initiative as a big win for the environment. It was one of the first major projects by a developing country to reduce carbon. But in August 2013, President Correa ended the initiative.

Why the Initiative Was Good

Protecting Amazing Nature

Yasuni National Park is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. Scientists found 655 types of trees in just one hectare there. That's more than in the entire US and Canada combined! UNESCO has called it a world biosphere reserve.

About 4,000 plant species live in the park. There are also 173 types of mammals and 610 bird species. It has more insect species than any other forest. It's also very rich in birds, bats, amphibians, and other creatures. Yasuní is a vital home for 23 types of mammals that are globally threatened. These include the Giant otter, Amazonian manatee, and Pink river dolphin. Ten types of monkeys also live there.

Experts estimated that protecting Yasuní would be worth $9.89 billion. They also thought oil production in the ITT would cost at least $1.25 billion. This cost included harm from cutting down trees and losing eco-tourism. It did not even include oil spills or pollution.

Some drilling has already happened in the Yasuní area. This has caused trees to be cut down and polluted the air and water. Oil roads built into the forest have brought more people. This has led to more hunting and tree cutting. There are also many "waste oil lakes" in the forest.

Stopping CO₂ Pollution

Leaving the oil underground would have prevented a lot of pollution. It would have stopped 410 million metric tons of CO₂ from going into the air. This would have helped fight climate change.

Environmental Effects of Oil Drilling

There isn't much public information about oil spills in the Amazon. Petro Ecuador, a state oil company, has had over 400 spills a year. The government needs to make sure oil companies improve their practices. They must prevent oil spills to protect the environment.

Impact on People and Culture

The Indigenous groups are the most affected by oil drilling. They often do not have the power to fight against large oil companies.

Protecting Indigenous People in Isolation

The Waorani are a semi-nomadic group. They have lived in Yasuní National Park for hundreds of years. In the 1930s, oil workers and missionaries came to their land. Now, only the Tagaeri and the Taromenane remain isolated.

As more oil companies came, the Waorani formed a group. It was called the "Organization of Waorani Nationalities of Ecuador" (ONHAE). They wanted to gain rights over their land. They hoped to stop harmful oil drilling.

The government saw the Waorani's opposition as a problem for Ecuador's growth. Oil companies argued that Ecuador needed oil to develop. But the Waorani said companies were "destroying everything." This included their culture, land, and lives.

Their plea for an "oil moratorium" got attention from groups worried about nature. This led to "Amazonia por la Vida" (Amazon for Life). It brought environmental problems in the Amazon to public attention. This started a public discussion between the Waorani and oil companies.

In the 1960s, oil companies often ignored local land rights. They did not fix pollution or damage. This also led to more people moving into the Amazon. All these issues took away large parts of Indigenous land. It also put their way of life at risk.

Local people wanted to be part of talks with oil companies and the government. By the 1990s, oil companies faced more pressure. They had to pay attention to how drilling affected people and the environment. They also had to consider the long-term needs of local communities.

The Waorani learned new languages and met with officials. They formed new groups and used science. This helped create a middle ground. It was not perfect, but it gave them some say over their future. Indigenous people also sought jobs in the oil industry. They wanted access to oil markets and investments in health and schools.

They struggled to get good conditions for new projects. These included checking for pollution and clear land rights. They also wanted a share of the oil profits. When their needs were ignored, they turned to political action. In the 1970s, native groups wanted to include environmental concerns in development plans. They also wanted local control over projects.

These concerns got little attention until the 1980s. Then, the government started to recognize native land claims. Waorani town meetings were held by agreement. Even though this was different, the government accepted them as real political meetings. There is still work to do for sustainable oil drilling. But the talks between local people and others have grown. This has given them a voice in what happens to their land.

As their influence grew, the Waorani stopped oil exploration in two areas. In 2007, they also pushed the government to ban oil, gas, and logging. This ban was for the "Zona Intangible," a 7,580 km² area of Waorani land. They argued that oil activities polluted their land. They also said diseases brought by outsiders were harming their people.

Lawyers showed that oil companies lost money after drilling. This proved that sustainable practices would help both the company and the land. In the 1980s, the average profit per barrel of oil was five dollars. But the cost to fix the land was more than six dollars per barrel. This six dollars only covered local damage. It did not include climate change costs from CO₂. These numbers show that Indigenous concerns are good for the land and save money.

The idea of protecting the land of the "last free people" is key to the Yasuní-ITT project. It is used whenever activists say isolated groups are affected by new oil activities.

End of the Initiative

Ecuador Ends the Yasuní-ITT Plan

In July 2013, President Correa set up a group to check the Yasuní-ITT Initiative. The group decided that not enough money had come in. On August 15, Correa canceled the plan. He said the world had "failed" Ecuador. He called rich countries "hypocrites." He said they cause most greenhouse gases but expect nations like his to stop growing for the environment.

He officially ended the initiative with an order. He closed the Yasuní-ITT trust fund. Correa stated that over six years, only $336 million had been promised. But only $13.3 million had actually been received.

On September 7, 2016, the Ecuadorian government confirmed that drilling had started. It was in the Yasuní-ITT block. Then Vice President Jorge Glas showed reporters the drilling site. It was managed by Petroecuador, Ecuador's national oil company. As of July 2016, the block was thought to hold about 1.7 billion barrels of oil.

Public Votes to Protect the Park

Ecuadorian law allows for a national vote. This happens if a campaign gets signatures from 5% of voters. In October 2013, after oil exploration was approved, a group called YASunidos started a campaign. They wanted to collect enough signatures for a vote. The question they proposed was: "Do you agree that the government of Ecuador should leave the crude of ITT, known as Block 43, below ground indefinitely?"

By 2014, YASunidos had more than enough signatures. But the National Electoral Council rejected many of them. They said they were duplicates or fake. YASunidos claimed there was "foul play." They said opponents copied their flyers to confuse voters. They also reported that government officials had kidnapped and attacked one of their activists.

In 2018, environmental groups succeeded in forcing another vote. The question was: "Are you in favor of increasing the Intangible Zone by at least 50,000 hectares [123,550 acres] and reducing the oil extraction area in Yasuní National Park from 1,030 to 300 hectares [2,545 to 741 acres]?" The Intangible Zone protects Indigenous communities from oil drilling. Sixty-seven percent of voters supported this vote.

In May 2019, President Moreno signed a new rule. It expanded the Intangible Zone. But it did not reduce oil extraction. It also allowed oil buildings in a buffer zone. This was an area where they were not allowed before.

See also

In Spanish: Iniciativa Yasuní-ITT para niños