Ecuador has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation and currently estimated to be 300,000 ha per year (3%). Ecuador also has South America’s highest population density (45 people/sq. km.) and the highest rate of population growth averaging around 3% in recent decades, putting a high degree of development pressure on natural resources in the country. High rates of deforestation are exacerbated by forest FRAGMENTATION.

FOREST FRAGMENTATION is the breaking of large, contiguous, forested areas into small pieces of forest. The remaining patches of forest are isolated by agriculture, utility corridors or roads. Many tropical species, small and large cannot (eg the Critically Endangered Brown Headed Spider Moneky) or are very reluctant to cross these barriers. Isolated forest patches have more light and air movement which quickly changes the species composition of plant species and many large canopy trees slowly die.

·       Since the 1940’s over 95% of western forests below 1000 m have been lost

·       Since the 1970’s over 30% of Ecuador’s Amazonian Forests have been lost

·       In total over 70% of mangrove forests have been lost

·       Over 46% of southern Ecuador’s forest cover had been lost by 2008

·       Most of the forests of the interAndean plateau have been lost since the 1800s.

These areas with high rates of deforestation and forest fragmentation (especially in western and southern Ecuador) are typically not protected by Ecuador’s National System of Protected areas and a high proportion of the ENDEMIC species that live there are now Endangered or Threatened with Extinction.