In a major victory for the international rainforest conservation movement, the Ecuadorian government has temporarily halted a Brazilian oil company's building of an access road into Yasuni National Park and Biosphere Reserve located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. You may recall the park contains one of the highest known levels of plant diversity per hectare in the world. Wildlife abounds as jaguars still roam, woolly and spider monkeys still swing through the trees, and harpy eagles patrol the canopy.

In June of 2004, Forests.org with Rettet den Regenwald e.V. (Rainforest Rescue, a German NGO) first brought the situation to a wide international audience. On numerous occasions Forests.org?s massive international network -- YOU and I -- generated thousands of protest emails. A wide coalition of environmental groups and scientists both locally and internationally worked hard to achieve this temporary halt -- including working with the Huaorani peoples to amplify their protests against this intrusion upon their traditional lands.

The political situation in Ecuador remains fluid to say the least, with this and other conflicts over oil rife. Sadly, final protection of this priceless rainforest and its inhabitants -- as with virtually any rainforest Worldwide -- is far from assured. And this campaign to protect Ecuador?s Yasuni National Park and Biosphere Reserve was a long-shot from the start. Yet the attached news account demonstrates the political machinations through which our voice -- the global rainforest movement -- has been heard.

It is good news indeed that we still have an opportunity to maintain the priceless ancient rainforest as a large, contiguous and unfragmented whole. Lest we lose the momentum, please respond to this updated alert - Oppose Oil Road Construction in Ecuador's Ultradiverse Yasuní National Park.