Noboa Announces $460 Million Amazon Biocorridor Plan Over 17 Years

Ecuador's government says it will direct major long-term funding toward Amazon protection.

Expreso reports that President Daniel Noboa announced on May 24, 2026 an investment of $460 million to protect the Ecuadorian Amazon over the next 17 years through the Biocorredor Amazonico project.

Where The Money Is Supposed To Go

According to Expreso, the project is meant to strengthen the Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas, improve management of more than 26 million hectares of natural heritage and reinforce the park-ranger corps.

Noboa said: "Movilizaremos cerca de 460 millones de dolares para proteger la Amazonia ecuatoriana durante los proximos 17 anos mediante el proyecto del Biocorredor Amazonico."

Expreso reports that the government also plans to invest in specialized infrastructure, control and surveillance systems, biodiversity monitoring programs, sustainable tourism and environmental conservation.

The Caution From Environmental Specialists

Expreso also interviewed Xavier Salgado, an agroecology and sustainable-development specialist. He considered the initiative positive, but said environmental policy should benefit the whole country, not only the Amazon region.

Salgado warned: "La mineria ilegal esta destruyendo cuencas hidricas, acuiferos y bosques. Incluso empresas legales aprovechan la falta de monitoreo para generar contaminacion y deforestacion."

What This Means for Expats

For foreign residents who travel, volunteer, invest or work around Ecuador's Amazon region, the announcement points to conservation, monitoring and sustainable tourism as government priorities.

The part to follow is implementation: Expreso's reporting gives the funding figure, project name and policy goals, while Salgado's comments underline that enforcement and monitoring are the hard parts.

Source: Expreso