Megadiversity Definition and Presence in Ecuador

Like economic wealth, biological wealth is not distributed evenly across the globe. Some countries hold vast amounts of the worlds plants and animals. In fact, seventeen of the worlds nearly 200 countries hold over 70% of the earths biodiversity. These countries are labeled Megadiverse by Conservation International and the United Nations Environment Programs World Conservation Monitoring Center. They are Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, United States, and Venezuela. What Is Megadiversity? One of the patterns that dictate where extreme biodiversity occurs is the distance from the equator to the poles of the earth. Therefore, most of the Megadiverse countries are found in the tropics: the areas that surround the Earths equator. Why are the tropics the most biodiverse areas in the world? The factors that influence biodiversity include temperature, rainfall, soil, and altitude, among others. The warm, moist, stable environments of the ecosystems in tropical rainforests in particular allow floral and fauna to thrive. A country like the United States qualifies mainly due to its size; it is big enough to holds various ecosystems. Plant and animal habitats are also not distributed evenly within a country, so one may wonder why the nation is the unit of Megadiversity. While somewhat arbitrary, the nation unit is logical in the context of conservation policy; national governments are often the most responsible for conservation practices within the country. Megadiverse Country Profile: Ecuador Ecuador is the first country in the world to recognize the Rights of Nature, enforceable by law, in its 2008 constitution. At the time of the constitution, close to 20% of the countrys land was designated as preserved. Despite this, many ecosystems in the country have been compromised. According to the BBC, Ecuador has the highest rate of deforestation per year after Brazil, losing 2,964 square-kilometers yearly. One of the biggest current threats in Ecuador is in Yasuni National Park, located in the Amazon Rainforest region of the country, and one of the biologically richest areas in the world, as well as home to multiple indigenous tribes. However, an oil reserve worth over seven billion dollars was discovered in the park, and while the government proposed an innovative plan to ban oil extraction, that plan has fallen short; the area is under threat, and is currently being explored by oil companies. Conservation Efforts Tropical forests are also home to millions of indigenous people, who are impacted in many ways from both forest exploitation and conservation. Deforestation has disrupted many native communities, and has at times triggered conflict. Furthermore, the presence of indigenous communities in areas that governments and aid agencies wish to preserve is a contentious issue. These populations are often the ones who have the most intimate contact with the diverse ecosystems they inhabit, and many advocates assert that biological diversity preservation should inherently include cultural diversity preservation as well.