Ecuador
Communal management as a strategy for restoring cloud forest landscapes in Andean EcuadorBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Watershed Management for Ecosystem Services in Human Dominated Landscapes of the NeotropicsBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Bosques andinos del sur de Ecuador, clasificación, regeneración y uso (Andean Forests of Southern Ecuador, classification, regeneration and use)EspañolantecedentesA pesar de la gran diversidad e importancia de los bosques montanos tropicales, existe muy poca información disponible sobre ellos, incluyendo inventarios y descripciones. Open access copy available |
Influence of Tree cover on Diversity, Carbon Sequestration and Productivity of Cocoa Systems in the Ecuadorian AmazonBackgroundThis study evaluates the relationship between richness and floristic diversity, carbon storage, ecosystem services, agricultural productivity, and forest use potential under three land use systems in the Ecuadorian Amazon: cocoa-based agroforestry, cocoa monoculture and primary forest. In this region, one of the most important cultivation systems is the “Chakra”, a traditional organic farming production system, mainly practiced by indigenous peoples, that consists of the cultivation of staple crops in combination with commercial valuable species such as cocoa, obtaining multiple benefits. Open access copy available |
Neotropical Secondary Forest Succession: Changes in Structural and Functional CharacteristicsBackgroundThis paper reiviews the main biotic and abiotic factors that influence patterns of secondary forest succession in the Neotropics after complete forest clearance due to human activities. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors look at patterns of species replacement and various processes that occur during succession and suggest that the sequence of processes may be predictable even if species composition is not. Open access copy available |
Face the Future: EcuadorBackgroundDue to high population levels and a constant reliance on natural resources for livelihoods, the Andes region in Ecuador has lost an estimated +90% of its primary forest. Since 1993, Face the Future and the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment have worked together to reforest this region. Goals & MethodThe objective of the project was to work towards reforesting the region through plantings. Farmers preferred species that grew well and had economic value, such as plant pines and eucalyptus. Native species were also planted, particularly within reserve areas. Open access copy available |
Impact of Pine Plantations on Soils and Vegetation in the Ecuadorian High AndesbackgroundIn the Ecuadorian Andes, pine plantations of different ages and management strategies were evaluated for soils and vegetation against natural forest and grazed grasslands. These plantations were situated on volcanic soils. Open access copy available |
Can tropical farmers reconcile subsistence needs with forest conservation?backgroundDespite efforts to protect tropical rainforests through various policy initiatives, forests continue to face pressure from smallholders' subsistence needs, especially in montane regions. This paper proposes a means to turn abandoned montane pastoral land into productive agroforestry land as a viable alternative to further encroachment on existing forests. Available with subscription or purchase |
Modelling the Effect of Forest Cover on Shallow Landslides at the River Basin ScalebackgroundThis study analyzes soil models that can be used to help predict soil erosion which are useful to prioritize reforestation areas of watersheds. Research Goals & MethodsThe researchers tested the models in a river basin in Ecuador. They collected data for soil moisture/matric potential, depth, and rainfall. Vegetation (overland flow resistance coefficient) and root cohesion data were derived from the literature, as was the evapotranspiration rate. Open access copy available |
Restoring dense vegetation can slow mountain erosion to near natural benchmark levelsBackgroundTropical mountain areas may undergo rapid land degradation as demographic growth and intensified agriculture cause more people to migrate to fragile ecosystems. To assess the extent of the resulting damage, an erosion rate benchmark against which changes in erosion can be evaluated is required. Benchmarks reflecting natural erosion rates are usually not provided by conventional sediment fluxes, which are often biased due to modern land use change, and also miss large, episodic events within the measuring period. Available with subscription or purchase |
