On June 6, 1993, INEFAN, the governmental
agency responsible for the protection of Ecuador's
natural parks and reserves, denied permission to
Petroecuador, the state oil company, to continue oil
activities in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. This
was a historic decision for Ecuador, as it
represented the first time an oil company had been
required to discontinue its activities due to
environmental concerns.
Just when the Cuyabeno seemed to be in the
clear, on August 20, the President of Ecuador, Sixto
Duran Ballen, unilaterally overrided INEFAN's
ruling, and notified the Executive President of
Petroecuador that they could resume their activities
in the Zabalo, Paujil and Panacocha regions of the
Cuyabeno Reserve. This decision not only
disregarded INEFAN's jurisdiction, but is apparently
illegal according Ecuador's Forestry Law. The
President's actions will allow the devastation that
the oil-ridden Cuyabeno Reserve has been plagued
by to continue. Just in the past two years, five oil
spills in the north-west region of the Reserve have
led to the contamination of rivers and lakes,
deterioration of local indigenous communities'
health conditions, and irreversible ecological
impacts on the wide diversity of plants and animals
within the Reserve.
Please take action. Write President Sixto
Duran and encourage him to reconsider his decision,
and to work with INEFAN to preserve the Cuyabeno
Reserve. Address the fact that history proves that
oil exploration in the Cuyabeno has only led to
ecological destruction. The Reserve has tremendous
value biologically, as well as a source of tourism
revenue. Send a copy of your letter to Jorge Barba,
Director of INEFAN, and Accion Ecologica in Quito.
Arq. Sixto Duran Ballen
Presidente Constitucional del Ecuador
Casa Presidencial
Quito, ECUADOR
Fax 011 593 (2) 580-569
Dr. Jorge Barba
Director, INEFAN
Fax: 011 593 (2) 564-037
Accion Ecologica
Fax: 011 593 (2) 547-516
For more information contact Glen Switkes at the
Rainforest Action Network. Tel: (415) 398-4404
Fax: (415) 398-2732