Regular readers of New Internationalist will know that the fate of the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet, hangs in the balance. Home to indigenous groups and an incredible array of plant and animal life, the Park sits atop oil reserves which unscrupulous transnational corporations are desperate to get their hands on. In 2007 the Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa said he was willing to keep the oil in the ground – if the international community compensated his country for the loss of prospective oil revenue.

The original 2008 deadline for the proposal has been extended several times, and countries including Spain and Germany have promised financial support. But with a new deadline set for 2012, and with elections in Ecuador scheduled for 2013, time is running out.

A new e-petition has been set up to urge the UK government to support the initiative both financially and by lobbying other European Union states.

Sign the petition here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12708

The March 2012 issue of New Internationalist will feature a photo reportage from Julio Etchart, who recently visited the Yasuní region.