<h3>Transcript</h3>
Voice 1&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Ryan Geertsma.

Voice 2&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Yasun&iacute; National Park lies deep in the rainforest of Ecuador. It is one of the earth&#39;s greatest natural treasures. Yasun&iacute; is only a small part of the Amazon rainforest. But its importance is huge. Yasuni is famous for its amazing biodiversity. It contains more different kinds of plants and animals than any other place on the planet. And many of these plants and animals are nowhere else on earth.

Voice 2&nbsp;

However, another kind of treasure is threatening Yasun&iacute;&rsquo;s biodiversity. Oil. This limited natural resource is worth a lot of money.&nbsp; People usually measure oil in barrels. A barrel contains over 100 liters of oil. And in Yasun&iacute;, there are over 846 million barrels of oil under the ground. But removing oil from Yasun&iacute; would cause great damage.&nbsp; It would harm the rain forest and its important biodiversity.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The government of Ecuador has proposed an unusual idea to protect Yasun&iacute;&rsquo;s biodiversity. The idea is called the Yasun&iacute; ITT Initiative. But will it be enough to save Yasun&iacute; National Park? Today&#39;s Spotlight program is on the Yasun&iacute; ITT Initiative.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Ecuador&#39;s economy depends greatly on the money it earns from exporting oil. And much of the country&rsquo;s oil resources lie under Yasun&iacute; National Park. There is a small part of the park called the ITT Block. This area contains about 20% of all Ecuador&#39;s oil. Many people argue that Ecuador should remove oil from the ITT block.&nbsp; Ecuador would make a lot of money exporting this oil.&nbsp; And they say that capturing this oil would only damage a small part of Yasun&iacute;. For these reasons, there is a lot of pressure to use the oil under the ITT Block.

Voice 1&nbsp;

But there has also been a lot of pressure to save the forests of Yasun&iacute;. Much of the biodiversity in Yasun&iacute; is still unknown to scientists.&nbsp; They have not had time to study it.&nbsp; Scientists believe the forest has many helpful resources. And they hope to use these resources to make medicines and other things that are helpful to human life. People also argue that the oil should not be removed because of global warming. Scientists say that the removal and use of oil releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. And this release of carbon dioxide and other gases is slowly warming the earth.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Rafael Correa is the president of Ecuador.&nbsp; He talked to National Geographic magazine about this difficult situation.&nbsp; He said,

Voice 3&nbsp;

"Ecuador is a poor country. We still have children without an education. We need healthcare, good homes. We lack many things. What would be best for the country would be to use the oil resources.&nbsp; But we also understand our responsibility to fight against global warming."

Voice 1&nbsp;

So, in 2007, President Correa started the Yasuni ITT Initiative. This unusual initiative is a fund raising program. Ecuador asked the international community to give money.&nbsp; In return, Ecuador promised not to use the oil under the ITT Block. For the plan to work, the international community would have to give Ecuador 3.6 billion US dollars [$3,600,000,000] over 13 years.&nbsp; This amount is about half of the value of the oil in the ITT block. This plan would provide Ecuador with much needed money. And it would also keep the treasures of Yasun&iacute; National Park safe.

Voice 2&nbsp;

The initiative had a difficult start. Many people praised the idea. They said it was fair, intelligent, new, and full of promise. Other people thought Ecuador was trying to force other countries to give aid money. And the countries did not know what Ecuador would do with the money. They also could not be sure that Ecuador would keep its promise.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Ecuador&#39;s government had to persuade the international community that the plan was good for them. Ecuador argued that the beauty and biodiversity of Yasun&iacute; National Park is a global treasure. They also argued that exploring and using the oil would be very costly for the global environment. Lastly, they explained that Ecuador is not just asking for money. Ecuador is also giving money.&nbsp; They are sacrificing 3.6 billion US dollars worth of oil money.

Voice 2&nbsp;

In 2010, Ecuador announced that it was going to work with the United Nations on the initiative. The UN would manage a special trust fund for Ecuador. This means that countries will give money to the fund.&nbsp; Then, the UN will make sure that Ecuador uses the money in a responsible way. The UN will also make sure the government of Ecuador keeps their promise. If Ecuador uses the oil from the ITT block, the UN will make Ecuador give back all the promised money.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Ivonne A-Baki is Ecuador&rsquo;s head of the Yasun&iacute; ITT Initiative. In a speech at the Yasun&iacute; National Park she explained why the initiative is so important to Ecuador. She said,

Voice 4

"We have to protect the environment. This is written in our constitution. We want to build Ecuador&#39;s economy on clean energy, not on fuels like oil."

Voice 2

Having the UN involved has helped the Yasun&iacute; ITT Initiative. The goal for 2013 was to raise 291 million US dollars by the end of the year. By the middle of 2013, A-Baki reported that they had raised 330 million US dollars. That is enough to keep the initiative going, for now.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The success of the Yasun&iacute; ITT Initiative depends on what happens next. The initiative has raised 330 million dollars.&nbsp; But that is a lot less than the total goal of 3.6 billion dollars. President Correa hopes the initiative will be a success. He wants to protect the biodiversity of Yasun&iacute;. And he wants to protect the environment from further global warming. But if it fails, he is clear. Ecuador may have to use the ITT oil. In a 2013 speech, he said,

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;We want to keep large amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. But if the international community does not help share the responsibility, we have to make the best decision for the Ecuadorean people.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

What do you think? Will the international community help Ecuador save Yasun&iacute;? Do you think they should?&nbsp; You can e-mail us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. Or, you can leave a comment on our website.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The writer of this program was Jen Hawkins. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the Internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &ldquo;Saving the Yasun&iacute; Rain Forest.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

&nbsp;

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Question:
Should a government protect natural spaces?


