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A group of individuals dragged a dolphin ashore at Crucita beach in Manabí during Carnival and gutted it in front of dozens of tourists and a police officer. Ecuador’s Environment Minister has ordered a criminal investigation under wildlife protection laws that carry up to three years in prison.
Indigenous leader Marlon Vargas calls President Noboa's urgent mining and energy reform a threat to water, territories, and collective rights. The National Assembly has until March 2 to vote on the bill, and CONAIE is calling for unity against it.
The National Electoral Council unanimously approved the start of the electoral period on February 14, setting the stage for mayoral, prefect, and council elections on February 14, 2027. Campaign season officially begins in January 2027.
Coffee grown in Quito's UNESCO-designated Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve is gaining international recognition and finding growing markets in Europe, adding another dimension to Ecuador's agricultural export story.
Ecuador’s largest gold mine exported a record $1.8 billion in 2025 — a 51% jump from the prior year — as gold prices topped $5,000 per ounce for the first time. Lundin Gold just announced $100 million in new exploration spending and discovered a fifth copper-gold deposit, signaling the mining boom is just getting started.
Washington and Quito have 'substantially concluded' negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement set to be signed in coming weeks. But Ecuador's biggest non-oil export to the U.S. — shrimp worth $2 billion a year — may not get the tariff relief the industry needs to survive.
President Daniel Noboa has been invited to a Trump-hosted Latin American presidential summit on March 7 in Miami, aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. The U.S. also highlighted Ecuador's mining potential and signed a critical minerals agreement.
An international arbitral tribunal adjusted Ecuador's compensation obligation to Chevron downward by $5.7 million, landing at $215 million. The decades-old Amazon environmental dispute continues to drain government coffers in a tight fiscal year.
During President Noboa's visit to the UAE, Petroecuador and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company signed a memorandum of understanding for direct crude oil trade and refined product imports — cutting out intermediary traders.
Ecuador’s TB crisis went from bad to alarming in 2025. Deaths jumped 127%, confirmed cases rose 67% to 9,142, and health experts warn this is no longer just a prison problem — community transmission is driving the surge.
Ecuarunari's new president Leonidas Iza announced that indigenous organizations will formally pursue a mandate revocation against President Daniel Noboa, citing broken promises and growing social discontent. The constitutional process requires over two million signatures and cannot begin until May 2026.
Airport fees at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport increased on February 1 under a 2004 concession contract. International departures now cost $41.14 per passenger. Here's what changed and how Ecuador compares regionally.
