Sustainable forest use of legal origin in the province of Napo Amazonia Ecuador

The study proposes to analyze the legal use of forest resources in the province of Napo Ecuador during the period of 2011–2015. The data collected was analyzed in three stages: secondary information gathering, systematization of information and interpretation of results. Thereafter, based on the stated objectives, it was possible to obtain: the analysis of legal forest use by program type, plant formation and species used during different years, and the volume of legal forest use. Based on interviews directed to local stakeholders involved in the forestry sector, it was possible to analyze the factors that have influenced the legal use of forest resources. The highest rate for legal forest use was concentrated in simplified forest harvesting programs. Forest utilization in native forest represents 43.62%, in which the year 2011 showed the greatest increase for legal forest use; however, 2012 recorded a drastic decrease, with a slight improvement in 2013, and a continued decline in 2014 and 2015. The species with the highest rate of use was laurel. The variations for legal forest use in the province of Napo are linked to the effectiveness and strengthening of the National Forestry Control System, 2011 was the year with the most effective performance.