#433: Holding A Rainforest Hostage




Planet Money show

Summary: Ecuador's Yasuni National Park is an amazing rainforest — home to jaguars, giant otters, the golden-mantled tamarin and woolly monkeys. The park also sits on top of hundreds of millions of barrels of oil, worth billions of dollars. The government of Ecuador faces a choice: Should it protect the park, or go for the money? The country is trying to do both. The government says it will promise to leave its rainforest untouched — if rich counties give Ecuador billions of dollars.