Ecuador
Contextual Analysis of Agroforestry Adoption in the Buffer Zone of Podocarpus National Park, EcuadorBackgroundPromoting sustainable agriculture and community development has been an important strategy both to alleviate resource pressures on Ecuador’s Podocarpus National Park (PNP) and surrounding forested areas in its buffer zone, and to aid local communities. However, many contextual factors drive neighboring rural and agricultural communities to put pressure on PNP and the surrounding landscape. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tropical Forest Restoration within Galapagos National Park: Application of a State-transition ModelBackgroundFew restoration models address ecological and management issues across the vegetation mosaic of a landscape. Because of a lack of scientific knowledge and funds, restoration practitioners focus instead on site-specific prescriptions and reactive rather than proactive approaches to restoration; this approach often dooms restoration projects to failure. This synthesis article tests a state-transition model as a decision-making tool to identify and achieve short- and long-term restoration goals. Open access copy available |
How Successful is Tree growing for Smallholders in the Amazon?backgroundThis study compares donor-driven and smallholder-initiated tree growing projects in the Amazon to assess outcomes such as tree survival, commercialization success, and environmental benefits of two different approaches to tree planting. Such research is important for understanding the limitations of both smallholder and donor-driven tree growing for reforestation, and for improving production of forest products outside of natural forests. The study also emphasizes the importance of capturing local knowledge. Open access copy available |
Influence of Distance to Forest Edges on Natural Regeneration of Abandoned Pastures: A Case Study in the Tropical Mountain Rain Forest of Southern EcuadorbackgroundThis study evaluates the role that distance from forest edges plays in the restoration of abandoned pasture. Available with subscription or purchase |
Light Acclimation of Four Native Tree Species in Felling Gaps within a Tropical Mountain RainforestbackgroundThis article addresses the decline of Ecuadorian mountain rainforests by evaluating the success fo enrichment planting of native tree species in forest gaps to prote native tree abundance and biodiversity. Available with subscription or purchase |
CHOCO2-Maquipucuna FoundationBACKGROUNDOver the last 31 years, this project has focused its attention on conserving the remaining unprotected forests in Ecuador’s most biodiverse regions through strategic land purchases and by helping local communities find economic alternatives to thrive in harmony with nature. Local people play an integral role in conservation, hence setting up protected areas in isolation is insufficient to protect biodiversity. Therefore, the project works to develop a complex, multiscale, multifaceted conservation framework that integrates research, education, local community development, sustainable ecotourism and policy making. Open access copy available |
Plantas nativas para reforestación en el Ecuador (Native plants for reforestation in Ecuador)Este trabajo ofrece información de más de 261 especies nativas a Ecuador para orientar en la selección de especies y el establecimiento de plantaciones forestales para reforestación. La descripción de las especies incluye información de la estructura de la planta, frutos, propagación, región/altitud donde se encuentran, suelos y otras características ambientales, usos comunes, dibujos morfológicos de la planta y otras observaciones. Available with subscription or purchase |
Application of Mycorrhizal Roots Improves Growth of Tropical Tree Seedlings in the Nursery: A Step Towards Reforestation with Native Species in the Andes of EcuadorbackgroundEcuador’s tropical mountain rainforests are rich in biodiversity but are facing the highest deforestation rate in South America (1.7%). Tree plantations are one method being used to restore these forests, however these plantations often use fast-growing introduced species rather than native species. To improve the success of native species in order to encourage their greater use in plantations, this study proposes inoculation of nursery seedlings with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that is associated with these native species in the forest. Open access copy available |
Reforestation of Abandoned Pastures: Seed Ecology of Native Species and Production of Indigenous Plant MaterialbackgroundThis book chapter provides important considerations for sustainable native species reforestation efforts. The authors suggest that although using native species is more prevalent than ever before, there has been little attention to the provenance of the trees used and the genetic diversity within species. Available with subscription or purchase |
Seed germination of Loxopterygium guasango, a threatened tree of coastal Northwestern South AmericabackgroundLoxopterygium guasango is a tree native to Ecuador with threatened status as of 1993, despite its durable wood, history of timber use, and potential use in reforestation. This study reports on seed germination, a potential cause of its low regeneration rates. Open access copy available |
