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Guardian

Guardian

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Science

‘Biologists were not part of the crime food chain’: why Ecuador’s scientists are facing violence, threats and kidnapping

Guardian
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84% Informative

Last year , tensions in the Chocó rainforest escalated after violence soared on the country's coast.

Accounts of almost daily killings in the cities of Esmeraldas and Guayaquil emerged as gangs appeared to fight over territory.

Forced recruitment in rural areas increased, as did extortions, known locally as vacunas , or vaccines.

Three of Ecuador ’s six Amazon provinces saw a significant rise in homicides in the past year .

Armed groups have also sought to control goldmining in the Amazon rainforest.

Research in some reserves is also off-limits, as mining has become a source of income in these areas.