Ecuador has started drilling the first oil from Yasuní National Park, a pristine corner of the Amazon rainforest.
Vice President Jorge Glas toured the site with reporters on September 7 as state oil company Petroamazonas drilled the first barrel of oil from just outside the park.
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Yasuní is a nearly 3,800-square-mile protected nature preserve on the Western edge of the Amazon.
Scientists estimate 150 amphibian, 120 reptile, and 4,000 vascular plant species live in the area, which the Ecuadorian government began protecting in 1979.
Source: United Nations Development Programme
Yasuní is also a UNESCO site, since in addition to its unparalleled biodiversity, indigenous tribes also call the area home.
Source: PLOS One
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