The Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon region of Ecuador, sometimes referred to as Amazonia or Oriente, covers approximately 120,000 km2 of the Amazon. The region consists the provinces of Sucumbíos, Orellana, Napo, Pastaza, Morona Santiago, and Zamora. It encompasses 43 % of the Ecuadorian land and is characterized by lush, humid-tropical vegetation. In the western portion of this region, the Andes Mountains serve as its limit, while Peru and Colombia indicate its southern and eastern limits, respectively.
The average annual temperature ranges from 15 to 40 degrees Celsius. The Amazon environment, particularly its tropical rainforest, has the richest and most diverse plant and animal habitats in the world.
This region’s primary distinction is its abundance of flora and wildlife, as well as its incredible diversity of macro and micro ecosystems.
As dictated by their sense of survival, diverse ethnic groups have inhabited this region since before colonial times, assimilating and forming a part of this unique environment from which they have derived ancestral and useful knowledge of the true natural resources of this region, such as ethno-geobotany. The Shuar’s indigenous organization exemplifies the triumph of its indigenous population.
Yasuní and Cuyabeno national parks are both rich in natural resources and are located in the Amazon.
Yasuní National Park encompasses 9,820 square kilometers in the provinces of Orellana and Pastaza, between the Napo and Curaray rivers in the Amazon basin, approximately 250 kilometers southeast of Quito. The park, which consists primarily of jungle, was designated by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve in 1989 and is part of the Huaorani people’s territory. Tagaeri and Taromenane are two uncontacted factions among the Huaorani.
Communities in the region interpret the term “Yasuní” to imply “holy land” regardless of the term’s linguistic origin.
The Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve is situated in the province of Sucumbíos and contains one of the greatest concentrations of flora and animals. It has the highest levels of biodiversity in the entire planet. Cofanes and Siona-Secoya reside in this region.
A trip to the Amazon rain forest will bring you into intimate contact with mother earth, disconnecting you completely from the influence of the contemporary world.
