Oil Spill in Ecuador’s Rain Forest

After five years of operation, Ecuador's controversial oil pipeline "Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados" (OCP) experienced its first oil spill. According to official sources, more than 14,000 barrel of crude oil polluted the Santa Rosa river, about 100 km east of the capital Quito. Other rivers further downstream were also affected. The area is rich in biodiversity. The mayor of El Chaco, Julio Pérez, called the leak in the zone between the Cayambe Coca Reserve and the Cuyabeno National Park an "ecological disaster".

According to representatives of the Ecuadorian indigenous federation CONAIE, the health of more than 40 native communities is threatened. In order to save the Ecuadorian rainforest from further destruction and to protect the livelihoods and lifestyles of its indigenous population, a proposal has been made to refrain from exploiting the untapped oil fields in the Yasuní National Park and the Ispingo-Tiputini-Tambococha area. However, the international community should pay to compensate Ecuador for the forecasted lost revenues.