Several studies have analyzed the situation of the forestry sector in Ecuador, with different focus. For instance, Owen and Thiel (2006) assess the influence of policies on the economic dynamics of the forestry sector. Ibarra et al. (2008) explore the implications of forestry legislation in small-scale forest management by smallholders. Añazco et al. (2010) adopt a more comprehensive perspective to consider the current problems faced by the forestry sector and indicate the challenges to advance towards sustainable forest management. Unlike these, the analysis here is centered in the dynamics of timber harvesting in the Amazon undertaken by smallholders, colonists and indigenous people, and their relations with the domestic timber market. The most relevant studies on related issues were focused on describing the internal uses and trade flows of timber (Wunder, 1996), as well as the timber value chains with a national perspective (Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, 2011).

The Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, launched in 2003, is the European Union’s (EU) response to the global fight against illegal logging. In particular, FLEGT aims at reducing trade in illegal timber between the EU and timber producer partner countries.

Forests are landscape-embedded complex systems with fates determined by multitudes of changing and interacting factors that are sectoral and extra-sectoral, biophysical and political, predictable and chaotic. The diversity of forest states (e.g. secondary, degraded, fragmented, invaded and managed) and the fact that none of these states is permanent gives reason for hope; even deforestation need not be permanent. With so many forest values recognized to different degrees by different people, the future of tropical production forests is likely to represent an ever-changing mosaic of a gradient of forested-type landscapes. To assure that this future is as environmentally, socioeconomically and politically sound as possible, researchers need to synthesize and evaluate what is known and then build on that knowledge while they continue learning. There is a critical need for interdisciplinary research at appropriate scales with the best designs possible to capture the impacts of relevant silvicultural treatments on the full range of response variables

The Amazon Basin contains the largest and most diverse tropical rainforest in the world. Besides the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean, the rainforest is bounded to the north by the Guiana crystalline shield and to the south by the Brazilian crystalline shield, marked at their edges by cataracts in the rivers and often dominated by grasslands. This book is motivated not just by the Amazon's scientific interest but also by its role in many ecosystem functions critical to life on Earth. These ecosystems are characterized both by their complexity and their interactive, higher-order linkages among both abiotic and biotic components. Within Amazonia, the Western Amazon (west of 65° latitude) is the most pristine and, perhaps, the most complex within the Amazon Basin. This Western Amazon may be broadly divided into non-flooded forests (e.g. terra firme, white sand, palm) and forests flooded with white water (generally referred to as várzea) and with black water (generally referred to as igapó). Here, for the first time, is a book devoted entirely to Western Amazonia, containing chapters by scientists at the forefront of their own areas of expertise. It should be a valuable resource for all future researchers and scholars who venture into Western Amazonia, as it continues to be one of the most beautiful, mysterious, remote and important ecosystems on Earth.

The ongoing debate concerning the Amazon's crucial role in global climate and biodiversity is entirely dependent upon sustainable development in the region. Recognizing that forests are an integral part of the social fabric in the region, initiatives such as community forestry, small-scale tree plantations and agroforestry, as well as payments for environmental services have aimed at conserving the natural forest landscape. At the same time these attempt to protect and enhance the well-being of poor local smallholders including indigenous groups, traditional communities and small farmers. Against this background, this book analyses numerous promising local tree and forest management initiatives taken by smallholders in the Bolivian, Brazilian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon to better understand the key success factors. The insights gained from more than 100 case studies analyzed by researchers from Latin-America and Europe in cooperation with local stakeholders reveal the need for critical reflection on the initiatives targeting poor Amazonian families. The book discusses an operational vision of rural development grounded on the effective use of smallholders’ capacities to contribute to a sustainable and equitable development of the region. It provides helpful information and ideas not only for scientists, but also for development organisations, decision makers and all who are interested in one of the major challenges facing the Amazon: to combine equitable development with the conservation of its unique ecosystems.