Population, territory and sustainable development

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In any case, only once the information on migration has been released will it be possible to
conclude whether this boom can be attributed to persistent waves of migrants —who move essentially
because of market forces, migrant networks and the opportunities that these places offer, rather than
because of public policies or programmes— or other factors (such as greater natural growth).
In Ecuador, the Amazon covers the entire part of the country east of the Andes mountain range. It is
made up of the following provinces, from north to south: Sucumbíos, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Morona
Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe. As mentioned in the previous section (see tables V.1 and V.2 and
box V.2), some of these provinces (in particular, Morona, Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe) have lost some
of their appeal over the last two decades as the current political and institutional context does not favour the
rapid, mass occupation of the Amazon (see table V.4). By contrast, the provinces of Orellana and Pastaza
remain attractive to migrants and are therefore seeing rapid population growth. Their continuing draw can
be put down to the diversity of productive sectors in these areas, including petroleum extraction, mining and
tourism, and the good conditions for agriculture. The situation of Napo is different because it became a
province of net emigration when it was divided in two (Orellana, formerly called Coca, used to be the
eastern part of Napo before becoming a separate province). The current province of Napo, which
corresponds to the western part of the former province, has been settled the longest and offers fewest
attractions to new residents. Surprisingly, Sucumbíos (which was also separated from Napo, but earlier than
Orellana) recorded net emigration for the first time. Although the causes for this have yet to be clarified, it is
striking that there has been a mass flux of migrants from Sucumbíos to Orellana, which could suggest a
redistribution of productive activities (especially mining) in the north-east of Ecuador.
Table V.4
ECUADOR: NET INTERNAL MIGRATION RATE OF THE AMAZON PROVINCES
AND THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, 1977-2010
(Number of persons and average annual rate per 1,000)
1977-1982 1985-1990 1996-2001 2005-2010
Province
Total
migration
Annual
average net
migration
rate
(per 1,000)
Total
migration
Annual
average net
migration
rate
(per 1,000)
Total
migration
Annual
average net
migration
rate
(per 1,000)
Total
migration
Annual
average net
migration
rate
(per 1,000)
Sucumbíos 7 311 25.4 4 032 7.6 -557 -0.8
Napo 18 666 46.5 6 131 15.1 -446 -1.3 -5 0.0
Orellana 6 227 18.3 7 538 13.6
Pastaza 2 149 17.4 2 862 17.0 3 277 12.8 3 175 9.0
Morona Santiago 2 656 9.8 1 564 4.6 -614 -1.3 285 0.5
Zamora Chinchipe 3 222 18.1 4 123 16.0 -391 -1.2 270 0.7
Galapagos 606 27.7 1 114 31.1 1 545 20.7 1 125 10.9
Source: Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE) - Population Division of ECLAC, Database on
Internal Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean (MIALC) and special processing of the 2010 census database.
While migration patterns in the Amazon are more diverse than in the past, the Galapagos Islands
continue to draw migrants. As the area is so sparsely populated, even a small net volume of migrants can
represent very high migration rates. Although this could place a worrying burden on the islands’ fragile
ecosystem, these movements are governed by regulations that make it easier for migrants to settle in and
integrate, making adverse effects less likely.