The Environment of Ecuador contains almost 20,000 species of plants, 1,500 species of birds, 341 species of mammals and more than 840 species of reptiles and amphibians. It includes World Heritage Sites like the Galápagos Islands, and magnificent parks such as the Yasuni National Park.

Damage to the environment

Mining in Ecuador Mining in Ecuador was slow to develop in comparison to other Latin American countries, in spite of large mineral reserves. As late as 2012, according to the United Nations'', ''Ecuador received less foreign direct investment per person than any oth ...

has come at a great environmental cost, though it has provided some financial revenue.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and

oil exploitation Petroleum is a fossil fuel that can be drawn from beneath the earth's surface. Reservoirs of petroleum was formed through the mixture of plants, algae, and sediments in shallow seas under high pressure. Petroleum is mostly recovered from oil dri ...

are other major problems. In 2007, president Correa proposed the Yasuní-ITT Initiative so as to allow preserving the Yasuni national park, while still allowing to generate revenue for the country.

Environmental performance

In the Yale University and Columbia University 10 Environmental Performance Index, Ecuador was ranked 30 in the world, ahead of some

rich countries A developed country (or industrialized country, high-income country, more economically developed country (MEDC), advanced country) is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastruct ...

. Ecuador had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.66/10, ranking it 35th globally out of 172 countries.

References

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Damage to the environment

Environmental performance

See also

References