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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. For. Glob. Change
Sec. Forest Management
Volume 7 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1389852

Assessing Timber Harvesting and Conservation Status of Forest Species in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Provisionally accepted
Rolando López-Tobar Rolando López-Tobar 1,2Robinson J. Herrera-Feijoo Robinson J. Herrera-Feijoo 1,3*Fernando García-Robredo Fernando García-Robredo 2Ruben G. Mateo Ruben G. Mateo 3Bolier Torres Bolier Torres 4
  • 1 Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Quevedo, Ecuador
  • 2 Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • 3 Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • 4 Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study focuses on the Ecuadorian Amazon, a crucial region for forest biodiversity and conservation of native species, which faces challenges due to timber extraction. The research objective was to characterize timber harvesting during 2012 to 2021, focusing on the ten most harvested forest species in terms of volume and provincial distribution, as well as their conservation status according to the IUCN. For the methodology, data were extracted and analyzed from Ecuador's Forest Management System (SAF), focusing on timber extraction in six provinces and assessing 210 species. The results revealed that, from 2,627,659.17 m³ authorized, 2,296,238.08 m³ were harvested, representing 54.17% of the national timber harvest from native forests. Species of the Fabaceae family predominated in number and volume, with yields varying from 0.5 m³/ha in Orellana to 2.8 m³/ha in Zamora Chinchipe. Analysis of the IUCN categories showed that 67.6% (142 species) are Least Concern (LC), while 3.3% (7 species) are Vulnerable (VU), and 1% (2 species) Endangered (EN). Two species were listed as Data Deficient (DD), one as Critically Endangered (CR) and one as Near Threatened (NT). It is crucial to note that, of the 210 species analyzed, 55 species (26.2%) are not included in the IUCN database, highlighting the importance of more detailed assessments for their conservation and distribution.

    Keywords: Tree species, Conservation status, forest extraction, Forest Resources, Forest trade

    Received: 22 Feb 2024; Accepted: 05 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 López-Tobar, Herrera-Feijoo, García-Robredo, G. Mateo and Torres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Robinson J. Herrera-Feijoo, Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Quevedo, Ecuador

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.