Assessment of biological diversity and tropical forests for Ecuador

After an initial chapter which describes the study"s methodology and briefly overviews Ecuador"s major conservation issues, Chapter II considers national laws, institutional policies, and individual activities that directly or indirectly affect natural resources, with a focus on the development and conservation activities of governmental and non-governmental agencies and international donors. Chapter III reviews the history and status of Ecuador"s rich biodiversity in each ecological region, while Chapters IV and V discuss, respectively, the management of Ecuador"s protected environmental areas, and national-level, community, and nongovernmental efforts to manage/conserve other biodiversity resources and tropical forests. Chapter VI considers the contributions of biodiversity to the national and local economies. Chapter VII covers a spectrum of national-level economic, social, and legal issues determining land use patterns, as well as the major threats to biodiversity and tropical forests at the regional level. A concluding chapter identifies critical areas for conservation, appropriate actions for A.I.D., and key policy issues affecting the sustainability of conservation efforts in Ecuador. A major conclusion is that Ecuador"s tropical forests (e.g., the Awa Forest Reserve and Yasuni National Park) are among the world"s highest priorities for conservation. A volume of appendices provides further information on, inter alia, conservation organizations, major economic projects, economic analysis of biodiversity, and Ecuador"s forests and endemic species. (Author abstract, modified)