A former ambassador spearheading a unique Ecuadorian initiative to protect one of the most bio-diverse places on earth has asked Korea for its support.

Speaking at the Ecuadorian Embassy in Seoul on Thursday, Yasuni-ITT Initiative Secretary of State Ivonne Baki expressed her hope that the Korean government and local concerns would support the Ecuadorian government’s proposal to refrain from exploiting oil reserves at Yasuni National Park by contributing to the cost of forgone oil revenues. The initiative proposes leaving reserves worth some $7.2 billion untouched if the international community donates half of the oil’s value.

“We are here in because we believe Korea cares very much about the environment but, other than that, also because they care about the people and the future generations and present generations,” said Baki ahead of an appearance at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju. “We haven’t had any country from Asia (add its support) yet ... and I would like very much for Korea be the first one to do so.”

Supporters of the initiative say that leaving the area untouched will save some 1.2 billion metric tons in CO2 emissions, and protect its unique flora and fauna and two uncontacted indigenous tribes. Considered ecologically unique, the national park has more species of trees in one hectare than the entire of North America.

“This is the place that has the highest biodiversity because of the geographical position is has,” said Baki. “It is just at the intersection of the equatorial line and Andreas Mountains and, because of that intersection and being a little higher in altitude than the rest of the Amazon, it has never been affected by climate change and that is why is has the highest biodiversity for flora and fauna.”

Baki said that, despite much talk, the international community was doing little in the way of concrete action to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity.

“Nobody is doing it, and it is about doing it altogether. Especially the developed countries, they are the ones that are contaminating, not the developing countries. But Ecuador took this very ― I call it courageous ― decision to leave Yasuni National Park intact.”

The proposal, which has attracted the support of Leonardo Dicaprio and U.N. Sectary General Ban Ki-moon, has so far raised about $200 million. But it has not been without its critics. Baki, however, rejected any suggestion that the plan amounted to extortion, saying it was to the benefit of all humanity, not simply Ecuador. She also said it would be extremely unlikely for the park, which is constitutionally-protected, to be exploited under any circumstances, despite a provision that allows for extraction in the case of a national emergency.

“The easy way would be to take the oil or cut the trees and take the money for reforestation (facilitated under the Kyoto Protocol) like what Brazil is doing or other countries are doing. But we are saying we don’t want to cut the trees and we want to be compensated for it. It’s going beyond Kyoto, beyond Red Spruce (the Restore Red Spruce initiative),” she said.

Ecuador’s proposal should be seen as a gift to the world, she added.

“It is a favor that Ecuador is doing, it is a favor to humanity, it is a gift ... We are not asking, we are not begging. Those who don’t want to give, it’s their problem and they are going to be blamed for not doing something for the earth.”

Protecting the planet, she said, is nothing less than a matter of human survival. 

“This is the only world we have, the only planet we have. If we destroy it, we are not going to destroy the planet, we are going to destroy the humans. To live in harmony with the earth, it has no value, it’s more than the millions you can get.”

By John Power (john.power@heraldcorp.com)