Quito (AFP) – A sprawling Ecuadorian forest reserve in the Choco Andino Biosphere Reserve, home to some 600 species of birds and 270 species of mammals, is at the center of a tug-of-war between environmentalists and miners who see it as a way out of poverty. A year ago, residents and environmentalists won a hard-fought victory in a referendum that banned all metal mining in the forest.
