The Constitutional Court ofEcuador gave the green light on Tuesday to the convening of a referendum, demanded by environmentalists for ten years, on the continuation of the oil exploitation of the famous natural reserve of Yasuni in Amazonia.
This body announced in a statement that it had “issued a favorable opinion (…) to the request for popular consultation” to keep the crude oil of the Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini (ITT) block, known as Block 43, underground indefinitely. In 2013, the environmental association Yasunidos had asked the Court to authorize the holding of a referendum on the exploitation of the ITT oil fields, located at one end of the Yasuni Park, whose one million hectares of rainforest constitute a world reserve of biodiversity.
In 2013, the left-wing president Rafael Correa (2007-2017) had approved this oil exploitation after unsuccessfully trying to get an international plan of 3.6 billion dollars to compensate the non-exploitation of the deposit in the name of environmental protection. It had started in 2016. Yasunidos rejoiced on Twitter that “the Constitutional Court has just accepted the popular consultation”. Within a maximum of 75 days, the Ecuadorians “will be able to say +Yes+ to the defense of Yasuni, its peoples, its forests and its species”. “+Yes+ to Yasuni, +yes+ to life,” the collective hailed.
The ITT fields, located in the province of Orellana, bordering Peru in the east of the country, produce about 55,000 barrels of crude per day. If the “yes” vote wins, the decision will be enforceable after one year and the shutdown will be phased in, according to the court’s ruling.
Oil is one of the main economic resources of Ecuador, which extracted an average of 469,000 barrels per day in January and February, 64% of which was for export. The government of right-wing President Guillermo Lasso, who came to power in May 2021, intends to double oil production despite the opposition of indigenous populations and environmentalists.
