Quito, Ecuador (AP) Lawmakers has on Thursday authorized the extraction of oil from Yasuni National Park, a pristine Amazone reserve.

This took effect after a 10 hours debate in which a loyalist congress approved President Rafael Corea’s plan by a 108 to 25 margin, with four legislators absent.

Correa was said to have announced in August that he was abandoning a unique plan to persuade rich countries to pay Ecuador not to drill in the Yesuni, stressing that wealth nations had failed to pledge enough money.

Environmentalists however had hailed the initiative, stating that Correa was setting a precedent in the fight against global warming by lowering the high cost of preserving the environment to poor countries.