Ecuador has started drilling the first oil from Yasuní National Park, a pristine corner of the Amazon rainforest.
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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.
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Scientists estimate 150 amphibian, 120 reptile, and 4,000 vascular plant species live in the area, which the Ecuadorian government began protecting in 1979.
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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.
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Source: PLOS One
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