Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world according to Conservation International and it has the most biodiversity per square kilometer of any nation. In addition to the mainland, Ecuador owns the Galapagos Islands, for which the country is most well known.

Ecuador has 1,600 bird species (15% of the world’s known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic in the Galápagos. In addition to over 16,000 species of plants, the country has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterfly.

The Galápagos Islands are well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ecuador has the first constitution to recognize the rights of nature. The protection of the nation’s biodiversity is an explicit national priority as stated in the National Plan of “Buen Vivir”, or good living, objective 4, Guarantee the rights of nature, policy 1:

“Sustainably conserve and manage the natural heritage including its land and marine biodiversity which is considered a strategic sector.”

As of the writing of that Plan in 2008, 19% of Ecuador’s land area was in a protected area, however, the Plan also states that 32% of the land must be protected in order to truly preserve the nation’s biodiversity. Current protected areas include 11 national parks, 10 wildlife refuges, 9 ecological reserves and other areas.

A program begun in 2008, Sociobosque, is preserving another 2.3% of total landarea (629,475.5 hectares or 6,295 km²) by paying private landowners or community landowners (such as indigenous tribes) incentives to maintain their land as native ecosystems such as native forests or grasslands. Eligibility and subsidy rates for this program are determined based on the poverty in the region, the number of hectacres that will be protected, the type of ecosystem of the land to be protected among other factors.

Despite being on the UNESCO list, the Galapagos are endangered by a range of negative environmental effects, threatening the existence of this exotic ecosystem. Additionally, oil exploitation of the Amazon rain forest has led to the release of billions of gallons of untreated wastes, gas, and crude oil into the environment, contaminating ecosystems and causing detrimental health effects to indigenous peoples.