Is the Yasuni-ITT Initiative a replicable model for biodiversity conservation?

asked by Jose Castro Negrete on Wednesday 6th October 2010

Question

Ecuador's Yasuni National Park is one of the most diverse biological hotspots in the world, it also has substantial oil reserves which could increase the country's oil exports. However the government has pledge its intention to keep this resource underground should international funds are available to reduce the economic opportunity costs this would entail. The proposal have start receiving support.

Lavinia Warnars, Researcher for the Yasuni-ITT Initiavite has developed a very interesting work aim at:


"...analysing and assessing whether the Yasuni-ITT Initiative can be considered as an alternative pilot project to address not only environmental and climate justice, but also power imbalances. Current and proposed climate change mechanisms such as the CDM and REDD, as well as the history of Ecuador are being examined as motivations of the initiative. Such motivations include injustice aspects as well as how the petroleum industry has affected the country severely in terms of environment, society, economy and politics. These motivations and the Yasuni-ITT Initiative are therefore carefully examined in relation to environmental and climate justice as well as power imbalances."


Could this model be replicable in other biodiverse hotspots?

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yasuni, biodiversity, conservation
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+4 #2 Lavinia Warnars 2010-02-08 13:31

In my opinion, this initiative could be replicated for not only biodiversity conservation, but also other aspects. That is indeed the aim of the initiative as well: that the comprehensive approach of protecting biodiversity, indigenous peoples, combat climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss and implementing renewable energy projects can be also done in other countries. These countries should be: developing, highly biodiverse/culturally, and contain fossil fuel reserves in such areas. Thus, it may be implemented in Bolivia, Nigeria, Indonesia, Phillipines, Venezuela, and more countries. The initiaitve should than however be adjusted to the situation of a certain country so it can work properly.

 
 
+2 #1 JCP 2010-02-15 00:33

I completely agree that the idea is really good. Developing countries like the ones mentioned above obtain more than half of their resources from energy products. Unfortunately, these energy resources are usually found in high biodiversity places. Leadership in these countries usually balance out short vs. long term benefits, and usually short wins. The impact of national and international lobby groups is also quite strong. In order to shift this behavior, alternative sources of resources like the ITT initiative could be the solution.

However, I still consider that this specific case would require a lot of effort specially aiming to make it stable in the long term in the political context of the country. Recently, the whole ITT initiave just got a major setback when the Ecuadorian President had strong disagreements with the leading team. This has affected considerably the external image of the initiative and the efforts done so far. In addition, out of "nowhere" a plan B for ITT appeared. Plan B is of course oil extraction, and it seems that the status of the preliminary studies is quite advanced.

Also, form what I understand, the initiative tries to go in parallel to current carbon markets. I think some sort of integration could be useful, in order to reinforce traceably, accountability and also increase the size the possible market. Finally, the biggest challenge for ITT, -although proven quite challenging so far- would not be its birth, but the future, when oil prices return or pass $ 140 per barrel. The question will be, how high the price should get, for the country to start reconsidering such a long term commitment.

In any case, being an Ecuadorian myself, I look forward to efforts like the ITT moving on and hopefully helping to preserve these valuable natural resources and at the same time allowing the country to continue to develop and most importantly, contributing to the sustainable development of the people that depend on them.