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Macalester College

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Program Name

Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation

Abstract

Gas flaring, the process of burning off the natural gas excreted during petroleum extraction, has recently been the source of public outcry, citing degraded public and environmental health caused by constant flaring near populated centers. While extensive research has been done on the environmental and health impacts of gas flaring, regionally specific research to the Ecuadorian Amazon is lacking. It is crucial that updated research in this region is produced to inform regulations that have the potential to minimize the physical, environmental, and economic impact of the petroleum industry on nearby, under-resourced, and marginalized communities. While air quality surrounding gas flares has been a frequent area of academic focus, this study centers on gas flares’ effect on soil ecosystems, a less researched but critical area of inquiry. Soil macroinvertebrates were used as bioindicators of soil quality, with ambient measurements and plant community composition surveys as supporting indicators of changes to soil health with increasing distance from gas flares. Three different gas flares were investigated, each of which had a site 100 meters, 500 meters, and 1 kilometer from the gas flare, for a total of 9 sites. Additionally, three control sites were surveyed to gain a base reading for investigated patterns. Significant relationships existed between increasing soil macroinvertebrate biodiversity with increasing distance from gas flares in the 100 meters to 1 kilometer range while plant biodiversity had a significant, positive correlation to increased distance from gas flaring for a 100 meter to 5 kilometer range. These findings suggest that gas flaring activities have a negative effect on soil health. Soil health is a key factor in the economic stability of communities dependent on agricultural economies that surround oil platforms, as plant growth, crop yield, and disease prevalence are influenced by the biological activities of soil. As such, this study suggests further investigation into the effect of gas flaring on soil biological activities within a more extensive range of distances and a more direct focus on gas flaring’s effect on agricultural output.

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Oil, Gas, and Energy | Soil Science | Sustainability

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