Ecuador is such a unique place to study and visit. Just reading about the different regions in the country makes me even more excited to go. The four regions in Ecuador are the Galápagos Islands, the coast, the Andes, and the Amazon. Each of these regions are so unique in their own ways, but they are all facing many different challenges. The Andes is also another one of Ecuadors unique regions. The Andes is one of Ecuadors most visited regions because of all the different land features it has to offer.
The Galápagos Islands have so much biodiversity on each island and they are where Charles Darwin got his idea of natural selection. The islands are such a unique place but the challenges they are also facing many different challenges. Although tourism helps to find research it can also cause many other problems on the islands. One other those problems is the introduction of invasive species. One invasive species brought to the islands were goats. Goats were brought to the islands by whalers in the 1850s as a source of meat. The goats were able to adapt to the islands very well but they caused other problems for the species that only live on the Galápagos like the giant tortoise and the iguanas. The goats consume the foods that are the tortoise and iguanas main food source. Among the goats there had been many other invasive species introduced to the islands.
The coast of Ecuador is another one of the four regions in Ecuador that is facing many challenges. Th coats of Ecuador can be such a great place to visit but for those who live there it can be a very difficult area to live in. During the winter season at the coast they get very heavy rainfall which causes severe flooding causing families to loose their homes. Whereas in the summer time it is the complete opposite: sunny and dry.
The last of the four regions in Ecuador is the Amazon. The amazon rainforest is such biodiverse place and is such an amazing place to visit. One of the many challenges faced by the Amazon is deforestation. The Amazon is said to being at almost three percent per year. Three percent doesn't seem like such a big number but it will really start to add up overtime. The amazon is being deforested for crops, towns, cities, and pasture. Its crazy to thinking that we are cutting down one of the most biodiverse places on Earth for our own use.
Looking at all of the different animals on each of the Galápagos Islands as well as all of the different species in the Amazon, it was no surprise that Ecuador was labeled a "Biodiversity hot pot" in the 1980s. A biodiversity hot spot can be defined as a place that has atleast 1,500 species of plants that are endemic to that area and that has lost at least 70 percent of its native vegetation. Because of how biodiverse Ecuador is, they are able to attract many ecotourists to come and see all of the other biodiversity. But this biodiversity can also be used to fuel the economy of Ecuador. Ecuador has many oil deposits which can lead to oil drilling which then can help them trade with other places.
Ecuador is also very dependent on its exports of its natural resources. One of Ecuadors main exports is oil. Oil plays a main role in a way for economic growth of the country but it also leads to environmental destruction. Oil drilling can cause the lands surrounding to be polluted, can cause fish kills, and greatly affected the indigenous people of the amazon. It is crazy to think that Ecuador has to rely on drilling so that their country can be financially stable. Not to mention that drilling occurs in areas that are supposed to be protected areas, but if the Minister of Agriculture and Grazing approves it they are allowed to drill.
As well as oil, there are also many other things that Ecuador exports; one of them being shrimp farming. Shrimp farming has caused the destruction of mangroves along their coast. the production of cut flowers is also one of Ecuadors main exports but the pesticides used in production can lead to environmental health problems. These pesticides can get into rain runoff and can be brought into streams, lakes, and the ocean and can cause lots of health problems. Ecuador also produces almost 8 million tonnes of bananas a year and exports almost 4 millions tonnes. But these production rate can come with many different concerns. In a lot of the production phases of banana growth there are insecticides used. There are bananas being harvested almost every week of the year!!
Its so crazy to think about all the resources Ecuador has to give to us and all we do is take and dont give back. Reading about drilling for oil in places that are supposed to be protected areas really shocked me. These areas are supposed to be protected and yet we are stilling finding ways around it so that we can get more. We are taking so much from all of these animals homes and completely destroying our planet because of it and it really is a sad thing.