Smallholders and timber extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon: amidst market opportunities and regulatory constraints

Abstract

Smallholders control an important portion of forestlands in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Timber is not the main source of income but contributes to complement relatively diversified livelihood strategies of smallholders. Timber extraction is stimulated by a vigorous network of intermediaries linked to the end-markets in the cities. Most small-scale operations are undertaken informally since smallholders require complying with still cumbersome procedures in spite of state efforts for simplifying the forestry regulations. Benefits for smallholders from timber extraction depend on how the harvesting operations are organized and whether they involve the participation of smallholders as well as on the species harvested, and whether these operations are conducted with a formal permit or not. This paper assesses the role of timber in smallholders' livelihoods, the influence of how timber operations are undertaken has on benefits distribution, and the role that urban markets have on shaping the dynamics of timber supply.

Smallholder Forestry in the Western Amazon: Outcomes from Forest Reforms and Emerging Policy Perspectives

“…In Ecuador, timber volumes extracted by smallholders in single operations without formal management plans tend to be lower than timber volumes extracted in single operations with management plans [34]. Formal timber operations are often organized by intermediaries who have the resources to obtain extraction permits, who want to maximize the volume extracted and from the most valuable species.…”

“…In Ecuador, since the National Plan of Well-being was issued in 2007, the government has assumed a leading role in the control and management of natural and planted forests [76,77]. The introduction in the early 1990s of simplified harvesting plans was an important step in promoting smallholder forestry [34]. Recently, a new program offers technical assistance to smallholders to obtain forestry permits and some economic incentives support forest conservation.…”

“…The alternative options for many is to sell standing trees to intermediaries or chainsaw millers [106]. Intermediaries usually have the resources and contacts to obtain the necessary permits, or know how to legalize timber [34]. Smallholders usually have little choice but to accept the conditions imposed by these intermediaries [107].…”

Timber Regulation and Value Chain in Community-Based Timber Enterprise and Smallholder Forestry in the Philippines

“…The majority of the areas under CBFM are within the second-growth production forests containing an average volume of 145 m 3 per hectare, equivalent to a gross national volume of approximately 217.5 million m 3 . This presents a lot of potential for poverty reduction.…”

“…This renders their livelihood at risk. However, unless there are other viable opportunities, timber harvesting would remain a significant source of income among forest communities and smallholders [3].…”