General Development Trends in Ecuador: Political and Economic Influences on Conservation

Ecuador is a small country located on the northwest comer of the South American continent. Intertwined within its boundaries abounds a wondrous array of diversity. Thee diverse regions encompass the geography of the land: the Costa, the Sierra, and the Oriente. The Costa region borders the Pacific Ocean and consists of lowlands, mountains, and rolling hills dividing the river valleys. The Sierra is composed of two major chains of the Andes: the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental. Traditionally untouched, the Oriente remained relatively isolated until the 1970's when the government began promoting the colonization of the rain forest frontier. Today, after rapid colonization and the oil reserve exploitations of 1967, the jungles ofthe Oriente are suffering and indigenous cultures are pushed further into the forests.