The effects of oil exploration on the Ecuadorian Amazon
Fascinating to hear the Radio 4 programme ‘Costing the Earth’ the other evening. It was all about the Ecuadorian Amazon and the conflict between conservation and the extractive industries, specifically oil.
Seems that the Ecuadorian government has come up with an idea to leave the oil in the ground if the international community compensates it to the tune of 50% of the value of the oil – around 3.5 billion dollars. It’s either genius or blackmail.
There doesn’t seem to have been much of a take up on the idea and if the government doesn’t get to its target of us100 million pledged by the end of 2011 then they might start to drill.
The locals down in the Amazon don’t seem to trust the government but anything’s got to be better than the current state of drilling down there.
The damage done to the Amazon through extraction of oil is absolute. Not just in terms of the pollution but, longer term, the fact that the roads pushed through the rainforest allow access to loggers and then ranchers.
All of this leaves the environment fundamentally changed and damaged for all future generations. Here we are talking about the Yasuni National Park which is a place of remarkable biodiversity.
Admittedly, there is a big difference in traditional methods and more modern methods of oil extraction. However, the photo above was taken within the last 12 months and shows oil works in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Part of this evening’s show has been spent talking to the Huoarani people in the south of the Yasuni area. The way they have pushed back against the extractive industries is to set up a lodge for visitors. There are only five rooms but it gives people the opportunity to live with the Huoarani for a few days and see things through their eyes.
During the radio show you can hear the presenter landing in the village and talking to Moi, the only villager to speak Spanish and someone I have met here in the UK. It’s a remarkable project and one which is truly sustainable and authentic.
When you leave the Huaorani Lodge you kayak downstream until you get to the oil road shown above, the ‘toxic highway’ as it’s been nicknamed. It’s along this highway you drive to get to the town of Coca and your plane out of the jungle.
Having spent the past few days and nights in the heart of the jungle with no lights, no machinery, just the sounds of nature and the rhythm of a life lived in synch with the environment, the trip along this road is a powerful, often emotional, reminder of what the Huoarani project is all about.
Back to the Yasuni exploration project and the radio programme. I guess the point not made is that even if the oil is removed relatively cleanly then it leaves the area exposed to subsequent exploitation by smaller corporations and individuals who are subject to absolutely zero regulation and control.
The economic imperative of oil exploration funds roads into the Amazon which would simply not be viable for the smaller fish of logging and ranching. It’s the Trojan horse.
If you want to listen to the piece on Ecuador, visit the Costing the Earth corner of BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r4wn/episodes/player
If you would like to visit the Huaorani during a trip to Ecuador, they feature in our Ecuador Uncovered holiday
For more photos of the toxic highway, have a look at this set of images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropiceco/sets/72157624485626838/with/4790407248/
Then cheer yourself up with some happier photos of the Huaorani http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropiceco/sets/72157624967905980/
Blue and yellow macaw in flight
I took this photo at dawn deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, the Tambopata Reserve to be precise. These are imaginatively named blue and yellow macaws on their way for breakfast at the clay lick. Not just any clay lick but what is thought to be the largest parrot/macaw clay lick in the world.
It certainly seemd that way on the morning we visited. Positioned about 50m from the cliff on a small island in the middle of the Tambopata River, we had a grandstand view of proceedings. Actually, when we arrived it was before dawn so we had a grandstand view of the pitch black if I’m honest.
However, as dawn gradually broke, the trees all around us began to fill with squawking and screeching parrots and macaws. Expectations grew but for a long time no birds would commit to the clay. They don’t every day. If it’s cloudy they might not come. If there’s a hint of any predators, they won’t land. You never really know until the first bird makes a break for it. Then all hell breaks loose as the trees disgorge thousands of noisy, colourful visitors onto the cliff. We were lucky. For an hour or more the cliff was ablaze with a mass of flapping birds.
Parrots are amazing creatures, so colourful that it is hard to believe that they are products of nature instead of some cosmetic creation for bird fanciers. The scarlet macaw is the most extraordinary because of the sheer range and vibrancy of colours but oddly enough, they do sort of blend into the Amazonian environment. It’s the blue and yellow macaws who stand out the most, that’s why I love this photo. It’s also not easy to get anything like a decent photo of a bird in full flight with a pretty ordinary camera on full zoom so I was a bit chuffed.
I just know you have two burning questions in your minds:
1) What on earth is the difference between a parrot and a macaw?
Well, I’m sure there are more deep seated and interesting differences between the species but for a means of quick identification, parrots have feathers all over their heads whereas macaw have bald cheeks. There, saved you from that embarassing moment when you don’t know whether to enquire after Aunty Deirdre’s parrot or macaw.
2) What on earth are either of them doing snacking on clay?
Apparently there are some quite powerful toxins in the nuts and fruit on which the birds generally feed. The clay found on the local riverbanks contains a form af antidote or helps the birds digest the toxins safely. They don’t need to eat it every day, they just need to keep themselves nicely topped up.
Read more about our holidays to Peru or you might find our guide to Peru helpful.