Today’s news / Ecuador
A majority in Ecuador have voted in a referendum to stop oil extraction in the Yasuni National Park. Photo: Galu Paguay/Ritzau Scanpix

Ecuador

A majority of voters in Ecuador have voted in a referendum to stop oil extraction in an area of the Yasuni National Park, which is part of the Amazon rainforest. The referendum took place at the same time as the first round of presidential elections, which were held on Sunday. Nearly 59 percent of voters voted to stop oil extraction in that area of the national park. “This is a historic victory for Ecuador and for the planet,” the environmental movement Yasunidos said in a post on social media. Due to its many plant and animal species, Yasuni National Park is considered to be one of the most diverse natural areas in the world. The oil industry, with all that it entails in terms of drilling, logging and transport, poses a threat to nature, critics say. In addition to voting to stop oil extraction in Yasuni National Park, a majority of voters in Ecuador have voted for a ban on mining in parts of the Choco Andes forest in the northwest of the country. The extraction of oil was one of the topics on the agenda when eight South American countries recently met at a summit on the future of the Amazon. /ritzau/AFP/