Land tenure and deforestation patterns in the Ecuadorian Amazon: Conflicts in land conservation in frontier settings

Abstract The Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve (Cuyabeno Reserve), located in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon, is a special protected area. Using a satellite image time-series, landscape ecology and evolving boundary definitions, shifts in landscape composition are described that focus on the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and cover change (LUCC) within the vicinity of the Cuyabeno Reserve. Changes in local land tenancy and the implementation of protection buffers have accelerated the process of fragmentation and exacerbated the conflict between development and protection. Further, variations in management strategies and ownership histories confound LUCC patterns, rates, and trajectories.

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