title: Landscape Restoration, Sustainable Land Use and Cross-scale Monitoring of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions. A Science-directed Approach for South Ecuador
Creators: name: Beck, Erwin
name: Knoke, Thomas
name: Farwig, Nina
name: Breuer, Lutz
name: Siddons, David
name: Bendix, Jörg
Publisher: name: Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing (LCRS), University of Marburg
Year: 2017
Subjects: sustainable land-use
Cross-scale Monitoring
science-directed guidelines
landscape restoration

description: In 201 3, the “Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem<br>
Monitoring and Research in South Ecuador”<br>
(www.TropicalMountainForest.org) was launched as a<br>
knowledge transfer program in the biodiversity<br>
hotspot of the southern Ecuadorian Andes, jointly<br>
funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)<br>
and Ecuadorian non-university partners. One of the<br>
overall aims of the transdisciplinary program is to<br>
design science-directed recommendations for an<br>
ecologically sustainable, economically profitable and<br>
socially compatible use of the mainly rural land. The<br>
second major goal of the program is the development<br>
of functional indicators that are crucial for the<br>
monitoring of impacts of environmental change on the<br>
ecosystem and its functions. They encompass<br>
abiotic, abiotic-biotic and biotic-biotic interrelations,<br>
and are sensitive - though to different extent - to<br>
subtle changes in the environment. Therefore, it is not<br>
only the interaction per se, which has to be examined.<br>
In addition to that the quantification of the response to<br>
certain environmental stressors is needed.<br>
Representing the fundament of ecosystem functioning,<br>
biodiversity as such or certain functional taxa can<br>
be monitored for an assessment of the ecosystem’s<br>
state. Important further criteria for the selection of an<br>
indicator are general applicability, easiness of<br>
handling and stability against pitfalls.<br>
This book “Landscape Restoration, Sustainable<br>
Use and Cross-scale Monitoring of Biodiversity<br>
and Ecosystem Functions: A Science-directed<br>
Approach for South Ecuador” presents in its first<br>
part a compilation of sustainable land use concepts<br>
that have been proven for application in the Provinces<br>
Loja and Zamora Chinchipe and beyond, given<br>
comparable environmental conditions. The second<br>
part describes functional indicators as well as their<br>
development, monitoring and application.<br>
Both parts start with introductory chapters on the<br>
major aims of the respective transdisciplinary<br>
program, followed by contributions showing how land<br>
use concepts can be used to achieve sustainable<br>
management and ecosystem services, as well as how<br>
functional indicators can be used to assess and<br>
monitor the stability of biodiversity and ecosystem<br>
functions.<br>
It should be stressed that this book has not the aim to<br>
present only a scientific summary of the developed<br>
systems. Instead, it targets on stakeholders as our<br>
non-university partners and beyond which are in<br>
charge of environmental planning and ecosystem<br>
function surveillance in Ecuador. In the manner of a<br>
technical handbook, it gives a comprehensible introduction<br>
to the land use option or the indicator,<br>
followed by hints how to apply, implement and assess<br>
the developed systems. The book is and was<br>
complementing our three pillars of capacity building<br>
which also includes stakeholder workshops on the<br>
developed land use options and indicators, and<br>
demonstration plots in the field.<br>
With this book the authors highly acknowledge the<br>
generous funding of the research by the German<br>
Science Foundation (DFG) and the logistic,<br>
administrative and practical support by the foundation<br>
Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional (Loja and Del<br>
Mar). Such research requires also fruitful<br>
collaboration with local academic institutions, the<br>
Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, the<br>
Universidad Nacional de Loja, the Universidad de<br>
Cuenca, the Universidad de Azuay, and the local<br>
weather service INAMHI. These partnerships were a<br>
great experience in capacity building on both sides,<br>
as evidenced by a number of academic degrees<br>
obtained and by numerous joint publications. The<br>
authors are also grateful for the support of our nonuniversity<br>
research partners beyond NCI, namely<br>
ETAPA EP (Empresa Pública Municipal de<br>
Telecomunicaciones, Agua potable, lcantarillado y<br>
Saneamiento de Cuenca- Ecuador), the Gobierno<br>
Municipal de Zamora and the regional water fund<br>
FORAGUA (Fondo Regional del Agua). Further,<br>
sincere thanks are owed to the Ecuadorian Ministry of<br>
the Environment (MAE) for permission to conduct<br>
research in South Ecuador.<br>
<br>
The Editors
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