Population change, land use, and the environment in the Equadorian Amazon

The purpose of this paper is to summarize and review key findings from ongoing research of land use and land cover change, LULC, in the Ecuadorian Amazon based on a probability sample of farm plots as well as biophysical information collected via a time series of satellite images. We will examine key factors thought to be responsible for the decline in tropical forests, such as road construction, expansion of towns and communities, individual and household factors, and quality and quantity of landholdings. We will also briefly summarize remote sensing research and the results of studies on women's participation in agricultural work and deforestation, household income and wealth, and factors influencing in- and out-migration among migrant settler children. The organization of this paper is as follows: Section II describes project objectives, section III the sample selection and data collection, and section IV key characteristics of the sample population and how they have changed over time. Section V examines the main findings from studies of land use change based on the 1990 and 1999 data, and section VI findings from other studies on the settler population. Section VII discusses some of the broader issues pertaining to directions for future research and policy. From authors' introduction