Ecuador ranks among the most biodiverse countries in the word, and it has been an oil exporter since 1972. Although oil became the backbone of the economy, the country’s extractive capacity is declining, oil prices have been volatile, and diversification is necessary. Extractive-based economies in developing countries have been affected by weak economic performance, low diversification, structural unemployment, limited institutional development and high environmental impacts. The presentation objectives are the analysis of Ecuador’s long-term performance and a brief evaluation of prospects for overcoming extractivism.

Carlos Larrea holds his Ph. D. in political economy from York University, Canada, and has post-doctoral studies in health and development at Harvard University.  He has a master in social sciences from Fundación Bariloche, Argentina. Carlos is currently professor at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar and was a technical adviser of the Yasuni- ITT Initiative in Ecuador, and a consultant for international institutions such as UNDP, UNICEF, PAHO, ILO, UICN, World Bank and IDB. He has published about 15 books and 85 articles, and his current research interests are sustainability and human development in Ecuador and Latin America.