Ecuador Indians Protest Petrobras Oil Development
Date: 13-Jul-05
Country: ECUADOR
More than 150 members of the Huaorani tribe joined representatives from other indigenous and ecological groups in Quito to press Petrobras to stop activity they said was damaging the Yasuni National Park's fragile ecosystem.
"We are saying Petrobras should leave, because Yasuni is the future of our children," said Alicia Ehuenguime Enqueri, vice president of the National Huaorani Organization of Ecuador.
The Huaorani tribe, which has little contact with western culture, lives in part of the park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve that covers 982,000 hectares (2.4 million acres) and is home to 90 species of frogs and toads and more than 500 kinds of birds.
Petrobras last year was awarded an environmental license to build oil drilling infrastructure for Block 31, an area that shares land in Yasuni.
The permit allows Petrobras to build a highway, dock, and bridge on 200 hectares (490 acres) of Yasuni land.
Petrobras officials were not immediately available for comment, but the company has said it is using the most modern technology to avoid damaging the park.
The Brazilian company has insisted that the project, in which Japanese firm Teikoku is also partnered, will only affect 100 hectares (247 acres) of the Yasuni reserve, which borders Peru.
Petrobras Energia Ecuador, part of Petrobras' Argentine unit, expects to begin pumping oil from the field next year. Crude oil is Ecuador's biggest export and a key source of government revenue.