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| Various information actions are being carried out in the country around the plans of the Government to expand the oil frontier in the Amazon |
Outrage and concern were the widespread reactions among the dozens of citizens and activists who on January 2 held a sit-in outside the National Assembly to support the request made in the plenary session to change the agenda and debate support and strengthening of the ITT-Yasuní initiative; at the time it was learned that the request had been rejected.
Minutes ago, Assemblywoman María Paula Romo requested that the session include a debate on the exploitation of Block 31 and the constitutional rule that prohibits the exploitation of non-renewable natural resources in protected areas (this is the case of this Block because it is located in the Yasuní National Park).
"Surprising and frustrating" for some, and "an expected decision" for others; these were some of the comments that began to circulate on social media within minutes, once this decision was announced. The PAIS movement voted in a generalized way for an "abstention", which prevented this issue, which is considered a priority in Ecuador, from being debated.
59 votes in favour, 2 blank votes and 39 abstentions (mostly from the ruling party) were the results that led to the motion to change the agenda being finally discarded. These are the names of the assembly members those who voted in favor (of the proposal) and those who abstained from voting (which has been the cause of widespread rejection).
Block 31 has been announced by the regime as one of those that will be exploited in the short term. The controversy lies in the fact that this block has 80% of its area (200,000 hectares) within the Yasuní National Park and is located next to the ITT block (for which the Ecuadorian government is requesting nearly 300 million dollars annually from the international community to not exploit it).
Amanda Yepez from the Amazon Campaign for Life indicates that the volume of crude oil in Block 31 does not justify the investment unless the ITT Block is to be exploited. Block 31 has 45 million barrels of oil, which is very little compared to the 846 million barrels estimated in Block ITT; therefore, including Block 31 in the proposal would give a very positive international signal to strengthen the government initiative.
"We will insist again and again until we are heard," announced one of the groups of environmental activists who supported the protest on their Facebook account.
«They are the same people who were singing and dancing Yasuniiizate in front of TV cameras weeks ago» read another comment on the same social network; «It is unheard of that members of the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Commission «abstain» from debating Yasuní, one of the areas of greatest biodiversity on the planet» read another of the hundreds of messages that circulated on the networks on February 2 and 3.
Several other actions are being carried out at the national level as support measures and request an environmental audit for the Yasuní National Park, among other related issues. One of them is the signature of the petition promoted by The Ecuadorian Resistance, this publication and other activist groups.
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