Risk assessment and stakeholders mapping: on the way towards adaptive management for Yasuní National Park

Abstract

Integrated in a wider attempt of analysing the socio-ecological systems, this study aims at making a risk assessment and stakeholder mapping of Yasuní National Park, one of the most megadiverse protected areas in the world, facing a huge range of challenges from oil drilling issues to the need for preserving ancient indigenous populations. As part of already consecrated MARISCO methodology implementation and based on bibliographical analysis and focus groups with members of Kichwa nationality and Park administration team, the results of the study indicate that unsustainable oil exploitation and deforestation for new agricultural land or oil drilling are the main risks not only from the perspective of governmental YNP administration representatives, but also, by the local Kichwa population. There are numerous entities interested in the natural resources management in YNP, starting with the national and local authorities and ending with local communities and different donor organisations. YNP is under the attention of numerous organisations and there is a clear interest of numerous entities form the civil society, universities, and research centres in finding the best management solutions for the future. For the local population, evolutions determined by numerous external factors and stakeholders, are, sometimes difficult to understand, follow and adapt.