For years, environmentalists have said that unless the destruction of the rainforests is halted, the consequences will be catastrophic in terms of climate change and loss of biodiversity - not only for the people, fauna and flora that live within the rainforests, but also for the rest of the world.

The Amazonian rainforest stretches across Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador covering over 2.5 billion hectares and fed by the mighty Amazon River which runs over 6,400 kilometres. Amazonia is known as 'the lungs of the earth', providing 20% of the world's oxygen through the continuous recycling of carbon dioxide by the forest's millions of trees. The Ecuadorian Amazon, part of the El Oriente region of eastern Ecuador, covers over 130,000 square kilometres, and is one of the most ecologically diverse and rich areas of our planet; one hectare alone holds over 246 species of trees.

The Ecuadorian Amazon may be an unequalled resource of plants, animals and minerals, but Ecuador is one of the poorest countries in the world. To the Ecuadorian government, the relentless exploitation of the forest is an economic necessity. The Ecuadorian government holds the rights to the sub-surface minerals of the forest, which means that although certain indigenous peoples may effectively own parts of the forest, they have no control over the oil exploration and mining that goes on there.

Oil exploration is the biggest threat to the future of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Oil exploration began in the 1960s. Since then thousands of hectares of forest have been lost as national and international companies searched for oil. Vast tracts of previously impenetrable forests have been opened up to colonists with roads and pipelines, with the inevitable associated pollution. The oil companies claim that they have kept to the environmental standards set by the government. The indigenous people and environmentalists say that any such standards are inadequate.

Some scientists say that unless the destruction is halted or slowed down there will be no rainforest left in 40 years. Once this precious resource has gone, it is gone forever.

'Thirty or forty years ago, foreign oil companies drilled holes and built oil wells. These wells are now causing a great number of spills. I would like other people to find out about this and be aware of the problem.' Moi -Huaorani guide.