Ecuador: Environmentalists claim enough signatures to force referendum to drill or not inYasuni

bbc.com reported that environmentalists in Ecuador say they have collected enough signatures to have a referendum on whether the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon should be opened to further oil exploration. They said 727,947 people had signed their petition to have a vote – more than required by Ecuadorian law. President Rafael Correa has promised that any oil earnings from the park would be used for poverty alleviation. But critics say one of the world’s most biodiverse areas would be damaged. The signatures were gathered by Yasunidos, an organisation of environmentalist and indigenous groups. Read Article

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