Environmental and civil society organizations in Ecuador have expressed concern about the announced privatization of the forestry service, saying it will lead to an increase in deforestation. The Environment Ministry’s new “authority transfer agreement” establishes that the administration and management of natural preserves will be in the hands of provincial and municipal councils, while forestry control will be entrusted to a private company through a bidding process.

According to figures from the Ecuadorian Institute of Forestry, Natural Areas and Wildlife, there were 16 million hectares of forests in 1960, but just 11 million hectares today.