While the old power structures of the world collapse, the West awaits a response to the chaos of one of the planet’s most powerful nations, as represented by the Trump-Musk dispute. This invites reflection on the concept of wealth.
What is wealth?
For some, it is amassing great fortunes, whether legal or illegal, based on exploiting human beings and prioritising significant capital accumulation. Others, however, ponder the exuberant nature of high biodiversity and infinite wisdom, which allows life to flourish in all its forms on the planet.
AMAZONIAN WEALTH
Spanning 7 countries, including Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Guyana, and Brazil, the Amazon region covers an area of 6,400,000 km². The region’s wealth can be measured in four tangible ways: biodiversity, culture, natural resources, and climate regulation.
CULTURE
Conceptually, biodiversity is considered to be the variety of life at different levels of biological organisation. In the case of the Ecuadorian Amazon, this variety is at its maximum, with around 700 species of birds, 206 species of mammals and 5,400 species of trees. The Yasuní National Park is considered the most biodiverse place in the world.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Ecuadorian Amazon is rich in natural resources, including vast expanses of forest, which have provided humanity with a wealth of medicines, water, petroleum, and exceptional biodiversity of flora and fauna. Notably, the region boasts significant gold and copper reserves, sustainable soil management practices, and a tourism sector with the potential to become a cornerstone of the local economy.
CLIMATE REGULATOR
Amazon plays a crucial role in stabilising the global climate. It stores between 150 and 200 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), regulates humidity by recycling 50-70
WEALTH VS WEALTH
Large corporations such as McDonald’s have turned the Amazon forests into pastures, while Chinese companies grow soybeans and palm oil is exported around the world. As a result, Amazon has stopped absorbing around 150 million metric tons of CO2. It is time for humanity to unite and call for the reforestation of the Amazon forests.
We are committed to conserving the planet by protecting 31,000 hectares of the Amazon rainforest.
