Ecuadors state petroleum company said on Friday it had contained most of a small oil spill near the countrys largest rain forest park, which is home to rare species of pumas and pink dolphins. Petroecuador said it had recovered about 450 of the nearly 650 barrels of crude oil that spilled on Wednesday after a pipeline rupture several miles (km) from Yasuni national park, one of the most biologically diverse reserves in the world.

The 2.4 million-acre (982,000-hectare) park is deep in Ecuadors Amazon region and inhabited only by Huaorani indigenous tribes. Petroecuador said in a statement the oil spill was blocked from reaching a river that flows inside the park 150 miles (245 km) southeast of Quito. "The Yasuni reserve was not affected, but we are worried because the spill occurred only two hours away from the park," Alonso Jaramillo, the park director, told Reuters.

Petroecuador has been hit by repeated oil spills caused by old and unprotected pipelines, sabotage and scarce investment to improve oil facilities. In August, a Petroecuador spill caused by sabotage contaminated parts of the Cuyabeno national park in the Amazon. "The ecosystem of the Yasuni is extremely delicate," said Laura Arcos, a professor at the Catholic University in Quito. "Its a real concern when you hear about these repetitive oil spills in protected areas."

The park, declared an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations, is home to rare species of meat-eating piranhas, red giant ants and fresh-water stingrays. There are also more than 500 species of birds, some in danger of extinction. (Additional reporting by Alonso Soto)
(Planet Ark, 23/10/2006)
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