Below, please find the non-technical summary of the ESDD carried out in Yasuní.
Background
Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (YBR) gained UNESCO recognition in 1989. Within the reserve, the core conservation area is the Yasuní National Park (YNP), with 99.73% of its original natural vegetation. As continental Ecuador’s biggest protected area, spanning 10,300 km2, it is considered one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet per square meter.
The program area consists of the YBR area, totaling 27,415 km², which encompasses YNP, the Waorani Ethnic Reserve, the Tagaeri-Taromenani Intangible Zone, parts of the Kichwa, Sapara, and Shuar Indigenous territories, and non-Indigenous settlements. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), an international NGO with over 20 years of experience working in the Yasuní area, is the Yasuní legacy landscape (LL) program implementing organization. The main program objective is to strengthen the YBR management, especially by supporting the Yasuní National Park and Indigenous areas.
From January to May 2023, Insuco International Ltd. (Insuco) conducted environmental and social due diligence (ESDD) for Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) in the Yasuní landscape, Ecuador. For further details on Yasuní LL, please consult the program page.
Methodology
The due diligence was carried out in two phases: document review and preparatory calls, followed by a consultation process, which included a field visit from February to March, where relevant stakeholders were consulted through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Virtual and face-to-face interviews were conducted, based in the city of Quito, with stakeholders from the Ecuadorian government, local governments, academia, Indigenous organizations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and experts on biodiversity and Indigenous peoples. During the fieldwork, interviews were carried out with local stakeholders including public institutions, Kichwa and Waorani Indigenous communities, and non-governmental organizations.
Main Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
The program’s most significant risks are unsatisfactory compliance with the right of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and a lack of an adequate Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM). Additionally, there is also the risk of contributing to, or intensifying, the legacy and contextual risks listed below.
The program faces legacy and contextual risks related to conflicts, namely, weak management due to Yasuní National Park’s management plan being outdated since 2017 and the absence of a management plan for Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, limited stakeholder engagement, impacts related to oil exploitation, domestic gender violence, local population and low living standard indexes, and encounters with Indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation.
ESDD Categorization
Yasuní LL has been classified as a category B+ (substantial risk) program by the ESDD carried out by Insuco. Contextual risks were classified as B+ (substantial), whereas risks related to funded program activities were categorized as B (moderate), resulting in a B+ overall risk category.
Foreseen Mitigation Measures as per ESAP
Yasuní’s environmental and social action plan (ESAP) was designed stepwise and in detail to tackle the program’s significant risks, resulting in 85 measures, from which 43 were already foreseen in the program proposal. Most of the measures are related to supporting the creation of management plans, applying FPIC, preventing community health risks, improving stakeholder engagement and coordination, and ensuring the availability of a GRM. To support the ESAP implementation, the hiring of a professional specialized in social issues is required.