Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) west of the mainland. The capital city is Quito.
The territory of what is now Ecuador was home to a variety of Amerindian groups that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spain during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia, from which it emerged as its own sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador’s ethnically diverse population, with most of its 16.4 million people being mestizos, followed by large minorities of European descent (criollos) and indigenous peoples. Spanish is spoken by a majority of the population and is also an official language alongside Quechua and other indigenous languages.
The republic form of government includes an executive branch headed by a president; a bicameral National Assembly or Congreso Nacional consisting of an 81-member Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) and a 100-member Senate (Senado);and a judicial branch headed by a Supreme Court (Corte Suprema). Executive power is exercised bythe president and his or her cabinet while legislative power is vested inthe National Assembly. The Judiciary functions independently off boththe executive and legislature. Votingis compulsory for all citizens aged 18–65. There are 14 provincesin Ecuador which are subdivided into 221 cantons; these are furtherdivided into parroquias or parish districts.
Ecuador has been relatively peaceful since adoptinga new constitution in 2008, though social unrest has periodicallyerupted throughout different regionsand there remain some pocketsof instability. Its economyis dependent largely on commodities such as petroleum, bananas, coffee, coca,(legal under limited circumstances),:208 gold,:371 flowers,:373 tuna,:374 timber:379and shrimp.. Italso contains many species not found anywhere else on Earth includingthe pink iguana, Andean condor , red siskin bird, Manta ray , among others..Endangeredspecies include jaguars ,payaso fish, turtles ,. Thereare also numerous protected areas including national parksand reserves totaling more than 20%of its landmass:”Ecodiversity” refers to thenumber/variety/biological complexityof ecosystems found within agiven area – typically measuredby number/variety/biological complexityof species present.””Biodiversity” generallyrefers to biological diversity atall levels – from genes topopulations to communities toecosystems.”Ecosystem services” refersto benefits provided tobeneficial organisms OR humansby ecosystems.””Natural capital” refers tothenatural resources & ecosystemservices used & enjoyedby humans that requiremanagement if they areto be maintained at current levelsor improved over time.”Environmental assets”- such as air quality,”environmental flows”(water quantity & quality),”soil health”, etc.- provide ecosystem services& constitute natural capitalthat can be degraded orenhanced over time dependingon management decisions.”- Ecosystems providebenefits known asservices: provisioning(food & water), regulating(climate), supporting(soil formation),cultural(recreation).- These benefits(“ecosystem services”)have value even if we don’tknow what they’re worth!-“Natural Capital Accounting”- putting value tonatural resources & ecosystemservices so managers consider themwhen making decisions.- “Payments for EcoSystem Services”(PES): voluntary or mandatorytransactions where someone paysfor environmental benefits generatedby another party’s management activities.- Problem: how do you measure /value something like “air quality”?Some air pollution does have well-defined monetary damages associatedwith it (“externalities”).But much does not – how do you put amonetary value on premature death?