Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 11
Amazon
Matt Finer, Clinton N. Jenkins, Stuart L. Pimm, Brian Keane,
and Carl Ross
INTRODUCTION
The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is
home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's
last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian
Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large re-
serves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to
unprecedented exploration and development in the region.
We synthesized information from government sources to quantify the status of
oil development in the western Amazon. National governments delimit specifi c geo-
graphic areas or “blocks” that are zoned for hydrocarbon activities, which they may
lease to state and multinational energy companies for exploration and production.
About 180 oil and gas blocks now cover ~688,000 km
2
of the western Amazon. These
blocks overlap the most species-rich part of the Amazon. We also found that many
of the blocks overlap indigenous territories, both titled lands and areas utilized by
peoples in voluntary isolation. In Ecuador and Peru, oil and gas blocks now cover
more than two-thirds of the Amazon. In Bolivia and western Brazil, major exploration
activities are set to increase rapidly.
Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extrac-
tion means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the
most pressing oil- and gas-related conservation policy issues confronting the region.
These include the need for regional Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments and
the adoption of roadless extraction techniques. We also consider the confl icts where
the blocks overlap indigenous peoples' territories.
The western Amazon includes parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and
western Brazil (Figure 1). It is one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet for many
taxa, including plants, insects, amphibians, birds, and mammals [1-7]. The region
maintains large tracts of intact tropical moist forest and has a high probability of stable
climatic conditions in the face of global warming [8]. By contrast, the eastern Amazon
in Brazil, where much of the global attention has focused, has a high probability of
continued massive deforestation [9] and drought risk in the coming decades [10]. The
western Amazon is also the home to many indigenous ethnic groups, including some
of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation [11-13].
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