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Ecuador pledges no oil drilling in Amazon reserve
"This is Ecuador's contribution towards combating climate change,"
- Ecuador's heritage minister, Maria Espinoza
Ecuador has agreed to refrain from drilling for oil in a pristine Amazon rainforest reserve in return for up to $3.6bn in payments from rich countries.
The money is about half of what Ecuador would make by selling the oil.
The Yasuni reserve is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.
Measuring 10,000 square km, it supports a huge variety of wildlife, incuding uniques species of birds, moneys and amphibians.
The reserve is also home to indigenous tribes, who have welcomed the deal to protect their territory from oil development.