Photo Essay: Preserving Ecuador's rainforest

Young photographers capture the beauty and fragility of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, one of the world’s most biodiverse areas, now threatened by oil extraction, logging and deforestation. The MDG-F is helping conserve the Yasuní by empowering youth to advocate for its protection and by building sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable populations. These photographs were submitted to a contest entitled "Yasuní, a window to the world", whose theme was protection and conservation of the reserve's natural and cultural treasures. The contest was part of a youth campaign within the MDG-F-funded joint UN programme Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve.