The people of Ecuador are heading to the polls to decide the fate of oil extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon for the first time in history. The referendum will give voters a chance to decide if oil companies can drill in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, the Yasuní National Park. This area is also home to the last uncontested indigenous communities in Ecuador.
The park is around one million hectares at the meeting point of the Amazon, the Andes and the Equator. One hectare of Yasuní land contains more animal species than all of Europe. The land also sits above Ecuador’s largest reserve of crude oil. The vote was authorized to be on the ballot of the upcoming election in May by Ecuador’s constitutional court. The decision will be instrumental to the future of Ecuador’s economy and the two sides of the vote are very polarized.
Read More: Ecuador votes in historic referendum on oil extraction in the Amazon
