Countries Want Debt Relief for Conservation. Is China Ready to Play a Role?

Planet China: Thirteenth in a series about how Beijing’s trillion-dollar development plan is reshaping the globe—and the natural world. LIMÓN INDANZA, Ecuador—Long drifts of mist settle between the mountain peaks in this region, almost indistinguishable from clouds. Underneath, species found only here depend on the intricacies of this high-altitude rainforest, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Like many parts of the Amazon, this fragile and abundant wilderness is imperiled—and not only by the usual dangers of development and climate change. Mounting sovereign debt has become one of the Ecuadorian Amazon’s biggest threats, pushing the government to expand…