Wildlife of Ecuador

Bold rainforest idea makes good: Ecuador secures trust fund to save park from oil developers

In what may amount to a historic moment in the quest to save the world’s rainforests and mitigate climate change, Ecuador and the United Nations Development Fund (UNDF) have created a trust fund to protect one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests from oil exploration and development.

The fund will allow the international community to pay Ecuador to leave an estimated 850 million barrels of oil in Yasuni National Park in the ground instead of extracting it.

Biodivesity of Equador – Wikipeida

Ecuador is one of seventeen megadiverse countries in the world according to Conservation International.[7] In addition to the mainland, Ecuador owns the Galapagos Islands, for which the country is most well known.

With 1,600 bird species (15% of the world’s known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic in the Galápagos. In addition to over 16, 000 species of plants, the country has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterfly. The Galápagos Islands are well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[

Despite being on the UNESCO list, the Galapagos are endangered by a range of negative environmental effects, threatening the existence of this exotic ecosystem. Additionally, oil exploitation of the Amazon rain forest has led to the release of billions of gallons of untreated wastes, gas, and crude oil into the environment, contaminating ecosystems and causing detrimental health effects to indigenous peoples

Wildlife in Ecuador – Lonely Planet

Ecologists have labeled Ecuador one of the world’s ‘megadiversity hotspots.’ The tiny nation is one of the most species-rich countries on the planet. Part of the reason for this is that it’s a tropical country, and the tropics harbor a much greater diversity than do temperate countries. But Ecuador’s astounding biodiversity is also due to the simple fact that there are a great number of different habitats within its borders. Obviously, the cold, high Andes support very different species than do the low tropical rain forests. When all the intermediate areas are included, and the coastal region added, the result is a wealth of habitats, ecosystems and wildlife.

Wildlife in Ecuador

Ecuador is a large country with a varied terrain resulting in a variety of habitats for animal life. Nature lovers will thoroughly enjoy touring the natural areas of the country and spotting Ecuador’s wildlife species.

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