While net deforestation in Ecuador has declined in recent years, high rates of gross deforestation still occur in certain regions of the country, including the Amazon and the coastal Province of Esmeraldas. A main objective of the GIZ PROCAMBIO Program in Ecuador is to support the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment in sustainably managing natural resources and reducing deforestation in highly valuable forests. To support these goals, UNIQUE was commissioned by the GIZ to study the causes of deforestation and regeneration and to develop intervention strategies in the framework of REDD Early Movers (REM).

• Prioritize and select hotspots of deforestation and zones of concentrated regeneration.
• Analyze the drivers of deforestation in deforestation hotspots.
• Analyze the dynamics of regeneration in the zones of concentrated regeneration.
• Develop intervention strategies to reduce gross deforestation and promote regeneration.