Mining companies want to exploit sites within the sprawling reserve, home to species like the spectacled bear. At least 12 mining concessions are in exploratory stages, although no mine has yet opened.
The Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve near Ecuador s capital Quito is a UN-designated biodiversity hotspot and the center of an increasingly heated debate over mining.
The Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve near Ecuador's capital Quito is a UN-designated biodiversity hotspot and the center of an increasingly heated debate