Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is seeking international support for his initiative to protect a national park in an oil-rich area of Ecuador's Amazon rain forest, saying coordinated action is needed to share the "public goods" of a clean environment.
In a speech Tuesday at United Nations University in Tokyo, Correa issued a call for financial contributions to help leave untouched an estimated 850 million barrels of crude oil lying under the country's Yasuni National Park.
"The idea may run counter to the market economy, but I believe the world should reward us for our decision of not tapping the oil field," Correa said in Spanish. "Everyone should have access to clean air and costs are incurred to secure the public goods of nature."