Oil, shrimp, mangroves : an evaluation of contingency planning of the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

The possibility of finding oil in the Gulf of Guayaquil has led several Ecuadorian agencies to prepare contingency plans to deal with the eventuality of an oil spill in the area. This report characterizes the importance of the oil and fisheries industries to the Ecuadorian economy, and describes the region where these activities may conflict. It also elaborates on the biological effects of oil in tropical environments, and on aspects of prevention, control/clean-up and oil spill contingency planning. Compensation for oil pollution damages and methods for damage assessment are also discussed herein. The analysis comments on specific issues of the Ecuadorian plans, such as their oil spill- response organization and operational guidelines. It notes the willingness of the government and industry to handle the problem jointly and to do so prior to actual oil production. The combination of control/clean-up methods considered demonstrates the seriousness and sophistication of these plans. However, the planning process seems to overly rely on these clean-up measures as an antidote to oil spills. This report emphasizes prevention as the cheapest and the most efficient approach to protect the marine environment and resources of the Gulf of Guayaquil from oil pollution damages.