This document summarizes key issues related to Ecuador's forest sector and implications for its national REDD+ strategy. It notes that Ecuador has high deforestation rates driven by land use change, unsustainable logging, extractive industries, and infrastructure development. There are conflicting interests between private forest ownership and government environmental policies. Critical issues include a lack of independent oversight, limited economic incentives for sustainable forest management, inequitable forest value chains, and high levels of illegal logging. The document advocates for more transparency, public access to forest information, and strengthened civil society involvement to improve forest governance.

1. Independence Transparency Public policy Social Change Critical issues in Ecuador’s forest sector and implications for the National REDD+ strategy Sigrid Vásconez Davidsson London, January, 28th, 2011 www.grupofaro.org

2. General Context Population: 14,2 million Area: 256,370 km2 Urban population: 66% 2009: GDP 57,2 million USD USD 3.970 GNI per capita 2009: Poverty: 45,5% Rural Poverty: 74,9% Sources: http://data.worldbank.org/country/ecuador. www.inec.gov.ec . Ministry of Environment 2010

4. Unsustainable and illegal logging,

5. Extractive industries (oil and mining) expansion

6. Roads and infrastructure Source Ecociencia 2010 Source: National Development Plan 2007-2010

7. Conflicting grounds: Forest and REDD+ policy Private sector 65% forest lands ownership and tenure rights (mainly IPs) Non Public Public institutions Public Sphere Public governmental Public non governmental 2008 Constitution Art. 74 Env Services as State function Civil Society: indigenous peoples, local communities and individual landowners

8. SOCIOBOSQUE Forest Governance SFM Incentive System DBL SAF Information System Sustainable Management of Forests Control System FEI SFM Forest Statistics Forest Control Reforestation and Afforestation Land titling and forest tenure Legal Framework Reforms Financial Sustainability

9. National Forest Administration and Control System Native Forest Forest Plantations Ministry of Environment (MAE) Forest Management: Plans and programs Forest Statistics (SAF) Forest Logging: Licenses Forest Regents Transportation: Licenses Sources: ECOBONA, 2010. Palacios, 2008

11. Policy contradictions influence low value of forest

12. No baseline information: No forest inventory, lack of Nat Land Use plan

13. No independent, third party oversight

14. Forest Statistics not related to concrete territories and not publicly available

15. Conflicts: REDD+ mechanisms versus evolving Env Serv policy

16. Lack of comprehensive economic incentives for sustainable forest management (Sociobosque is incipient)

17. Forests value chain extremely inequitable (300% price increase in industrialization phase)

18. Oligopoly composition of the market: 92% commercialization in hands of 5 companies

20. THANKS! Sigrid Vásconez svasconez@grupofaro.org www.grupofaro.org www.foresttransparency.info