Environmental problems in Ecuador

How does contamination affect Ecuador? This is one of the first doubts that appear when we wonder about the Environmental Problems in Ecuador.

• The development of oil industries and internal combustion engines has resulted in an increase in the concentration of certain atmospheric pollutants (CO, CO2, PM10, PM2.5, sulfur oxides and hydrocarbons) decreasing air quality in Ecuador. Its presence not only generates conditions on the natural environment, but also on people’s health. Here we talk more about why the air is contaminated.
• Water is also a natural resource hit by pollution. The incorrect treatment of solid waste and wastewater of industrial, agricultural and urban origin, deforestation and urbanization generate large Environmental impacts in Ecuador. Consequently there is water pollution and the quality of the rivers, such as the Guayas River, and other water masses, is strongly diminished due to the growth of toxic algae (“Blooms”) and by eutrophication processes (increased concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus).
• Soil pollution due to the use of fertilizers and other chemicals in intensive agriculture also generates serious problems on human health and agricultural ecosystems.

In this other article we tell you more about what is environmental pollution.

Just below Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, Ecuador is one of the leading countries in deforestation. During the 90s, the forest loss It has increased unprecedented (more than 2 million hectares less) while the extractive industry progresses. Mining and oil activities affect the conservation of forests and moors of Ecuador. But they are also motor forces of change the construction of roads, urban areas and infrastructure such as hydroelectric plants, among other changes in land uses. Protected areas and the development of programs, such as Sociobosque, turn out to be key in the maintenance and conservation of these ecosystems.

In these other articles you can learn more details about the causes of deforestation and the consequences of deforestation.

In Ecuador the fishing of pelagic and demersales is very important. However, the pressure exerted by a high number of ships, by Illegal fishing and by levels of catches in fisheries that exceed the ability to renew fishery resourcesThey have given rise to a reduction in populations of fish or ulicics species such as sardine.

Poverty and an economic model based on disproportionate exploitation of natural resourcesEcoSystemic services and functions diminish in Ecuador. This increasingly compromises the temporal and spatial availability of resources, dangering the country’s food production and its great biodiversity.

In this link you can read about the overexploitation of natural resources and in this other about the natural resources of Ecuador.

The loss of moors, the terrain of channels, settlements in the vicinity of rivers and the development of agricultural activities in these areas, contribute to an increase in Risk of flooding in the coastal areas of Ecuadorin the basins of the Amazon and in some hydrographic basins located in the Andean region, with the arrival of seasonal rainfall. The situation worsens because the drainage systems do not adapt to the current situation, where the frequency and intensity of the rains has increased with respect to the past years in which the evacuation systems were designed.

The child’s phenomenon, eruptive processes and marine penetrations (by tsunamis, waves and tides), are also triggered from flooding processes in Ecuador.

Desertification is the phenomenon resulting from human activities, from which the appearance of weather conditions of the desert takes place, thus favoring the land degradation and greater recurrence of droughts. The Desertification processes, land and drought degradation (DDTS) suppose one of the various Environmental problems in Ecuador to guarantee food sovereignty and security, so they contribute to the increase in poverty. Desertification is also a factor that instigates forced migration, as it increases the risk of flooding and soil erosion, with the consequent loss of fertility.

The project “Support for Ecuador in the development of the National Action Plan aligned to the Decenal Strategy of the United Nations Convention for the Fight against Desertification and the Report process” aims to respond to this problem.

Ecuador is a country with a great diversity of ecosystems (here you can know what the ecosystems of Ecuador are), where agro-productive landscapes are predominant. Consequently, it presents a landscape wealth that is increasingly threatened by human activities. The commented problems, aggravated by the effects of climate change, cause the degradation and disappearance of natural landscapes. It highlights as an example of change in the landscape the remarkable reduction of glacier coverage in Ecuador.

These environmental problems in Ecuador, together with the fragmentation of the territory, urbanizing processes, tourism pressure, hunting and the introduction of invasive species, lead to Biodiversity loss and genetic resources. In fact, in Ecuador, 78% of endemic plant species have conservation problems. As examples of threatened native animals, the jaguar or the peak hummingbird stand out. We also recommend you consult this other article on 17 animals in danger of extinction in Ecuador.

If you wondered How to take care of the environment in Ecuadornow you know that we have to put our efforts to solve the main environmental problems in Ecuador We have explained here. In addition, we encourage you to read this other article about some actions to take care of the environment from home.

If you want to read more articles similar to Environmental problems in Ecuadorwe recommend that you enter our pollution category.