Ecuador’s shrimp sector makes ground-breaking pledge to halt habitat conversion

According to a joint news release from CNA and WWF-Ecuador, this agreement marks the first national commitment for conversion-free aquaculture from any country across the globe. Ecuador is home to the largest mangrove forests in the Western hemisphere, but has seen coastal habitat loss due to conversion for shrimp farming. Demand for Ecuador’s shrimp has been rising consistently over the last five years, and the nation is currently the world’s largest shrimp exporter – putting greater pressure on coastal habitat and wetland areas. The new agreement between WWF-Ecuador and CNA will utilise geospatial data generated by Clark Labs to analyse and classify land cover in coastal regions where shrimp farming is most common. Using this research and data, based on scientific-evidence, CNA will be able to set a baseline and repeat this analysis year over year to reduce and ultimately end all conversion from shrimp farming across the country in the near future. “It is time for a change in ...