Abstract The Ecuadorian Amazon is one of the richest biotic areas on earth, with a plurality of indigenous populations. This study seeks to acknowledge the situation of these populations, by analyzing their trends over time through a longitudinal study of the demographic and socioeconomic situation in the first decade of the 21st century. It observes a young population with high fertility, as well as slight decreases in traditional livelihood activities and improved access to services, fostered by greater contact with external actors, such as oil companies, settlers and the government, which at the same time create a socio-environmental complexity that constitutes a challenge now and in the future for the exercise of the rights of indigenous people.

Resumen La Amazonía ecuatoriana es una de las zonas bióticas más ricas de la tierra y con pluralidad de poblaciones indígenas. Este estudio pretende reconocer la situación de estas poblaciones, analizando sus tendencias en el tiempo mediante un estudio longitudinal sobre su situación demográfica y socioeconómica en la primera década del siglo XXI. Se observa una población joven y con alta fecundidad, así como ligeros decrementos en las actividades tradicionales de sustento y mejoramiento en el acceso a los servicios, propiciados por un contacto mayor con actores externos, como las empresas petroleras, los colonos y el gobierno, que a la par generan una complejidad socioambiental que constituye un reto ahora y hacia el futuro para el ejercicio de los derechos de los indígenas.

ABSTRACT This paper examines changes over time for a full generation of migrant settlers in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA). Data were collected from a 2014 household survey covering a subsample of households surveyed previously in 1990 and 1999. We observed changes in demographic behavior, land use, forest cover, and living conditions. As the frontier develops, human fertility is continuing to decline with contraceptive prevalence rising. Meanwhile, out-migration from colonist households, largely to destinations within the region, persists. More households have secure land tenure than in 1999, and are better off as measured by possession of assets. There is continued growth in pasture, largely at the expense of forest. Farms still serve as an important livelihood source for families, though growing cities in the NEA are creating more non-agricultural economic opportunities. Our findings provide a snapshot of demographic, economic, land use, and livelihood changes occurring in the NEA during the past quarter century, providing useful information for policymakers seeking to balance economic and environmental goals in order to promote sustainable development as well as protect biodiversity.

RESUMEN Este artículo describe cambios para una generación de migrantes en la Amazonía norte del Ecuador (ANE). Nosotros realizamos una encuesta en el 2014 de un subgrupo de fincas que encuestamos en 1990 y 1999. Observamos cambios demográficos, del uso de la tierra, de la cubierta forestal, y de las condiciones de vida de este grupo. Encontramos que la fecundidad está disminuyendo y que el uso de planificación familiar está aumentando. La migración fuera de las fincas continúa, la mayoría a destinos en la ANE. Más fincas tienen los derechos de su tierra y las familias tienen más bienes. Desde 1999 ha habido conversión en las fincas de bosques a pasto. Las fincas son fuentes importantes de sustento de vida, pero las ciudades en crecimiento están creando otras oportunidades económicas. Nuestros resultados demuestran cambios significativos demográficos, económicos, del uso de la tierra, y de las condiciones de vida durante el periodo 1990-2014. Nuestro artículo provee información útil para líderes que quieran avanzar metas económicas y ambientales para promover el desarrollo sostenible y proteger la biodiversidad.

A área em estudo neste artigo, no Norte da Amazônia equatoriana, é a principal região de colonização por migrantes no país desde os Anos 70, e tem experimentado grandes mudanças em anos recentes, incluindo rápido crescimento populacional e urbano, fragmentação de lotes rurais, mudanças nas formas de uso da terra, e aumento na oferta de trabalho assalariado fora dos lotes. Essas mudanças têm afetado de forma importante a renda e bem-estar dos colonos. Este artigo utiliza dados detalhados de uma pesquisa longitudinal de colonos migrantes em 1990 e 1991, para estimar a renda domiciliar gerada tanto a partir de atividades no próprio lote rural, quanto fora do lote. São estimados, ainda Coeficientes de Gini para a desigualdade na distribuição de terras e renda domiciliar, e avaliadas possíveis causas das mudanças na renda nos Anos 90. O artigo é finalizado com uma discussão sobre políticas que possam aliviar a pobreza e atingir um padrão de desenvolvimento mais sustentável.

The Northern Ecuadorian Amazon, the principal region of colonization of migrants in Ecuador since the 1970's, has been experiencing major changes in recent years, including a rapidly growing population, fragmentation of agricultural plots, changes in land use, and increasing off-farm employment, all of which are affecting farm household incomes and well-being. In this paper we use detailed data from a longitudinal survey of migrant settlers in 1990 and 2000 in Ecuador to first estimate farm household incomes, on-farm and off-farm. We then compute Gini coefficients for both land distribution and household income, and evaluate factors responsible for changes in household income in the 1990s. The article ends with a discussion of the policies that could reduce poverty and lead to a more sustainable standard of development.

Este artigo baseia-se em uma pesquisa longitudinal sobre assentamentos agrícolas em três províncias no norte da Amazônia equatoriana, a principal região de colonização agrícola no país desde 1970. A partir da descoberta de reservas de petróleo em áreas próximas a Lago Agrio, capital provincial e maior cidade da Amazônia Equatoriana, empresas petrolíferas iniciaram a abertura de estradas e construção de oleodutos visando a extração, transporte através dos Andes e exportação de petróleo. A exploração petrolífera na Amazônia Equatoriana tem respondido, nos últimos trinta anos, por cerca da metade dos rendimentos com exportação e na arrecadação governamental. As estradas abertas na Amazônia facilitaram a imigração maciça e espontânea de famílias dos Andes equatorianos, uma região tradicionalmente caracterizada pela presença de minifúndios e pobreza rural. Este artigo discute a metodologia de coleta de dados e sumariza os principais resultados de pesquisas sobre esses imigrantes na Amazônia Equatoriana, especificamente em termos de mudanças nas características populacionais, uso e propriedade da terra, tecnologia, trabalho e padrão de vida, assim como relações entre características populacionais e uso da terra ao longo dos anos 90. O elevado crescimento populacional devido ao crescimento natural (alta fecundidade) e contínua imigração tem engendrado a subdivisão e fragmentação de lotes rurais desde 1990, em contraste ao processo de concentração de terra em diversas partes da Amazônia brasileira.

This paper draws upon a detailed longitudinal survey of households living on agricultural plots in the northern three provinces of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the principal region of colonization by migrants in Ecuador since the 1970s. Following the discovery of petroleum in 1967 near what has subsequently come to be the provincial capital and largest Amazonian city of Lago Agrio, oil companies built roads to lay pipelines to extract and pump oil across the Andes for export. As a result, for the past 30 years over half of both Ecuador's export earnings and government revenues have come from petroleum extracted from this region. But the roads also facilitated massive spontaneous in-migration of families from origin areas in the Ecuadorian Sierra, characterized by minifundia and rural poverty. This paper is about those migrants and their effects on the Amazonian landscape. We discuss the data collection methodology and summarize key results on settler characteristics and changes in population, land use, land ownership, technology, labor allocation, and living conditions, as well as the relationships between changes in population and changes in land use over time. The population in the study region has been growing rapidly due to both natural population growth (high fertility) and in-migration. This has led to a dramatic process of subdivision and fragmentation of plots in the 1990's, which contrasts with the consolidation of plots that has occurred in most of the mature frontier areas of the Brazilian Amazon. This fragmentation has led to important changes in land tenure and land use, deforestation, cattle raising, labor allocation, and settler welfare.

This paper presents details from the field test of two rapid surveys in Ecuador in 1995. It focuses on how the surveys were designed and implemented, including descriptions of the sampling procedures, the preparation and use of preprogrammed palmtop computers for data entry, the selection criteria for the interviewing team, and how the training was designed. Lessons are drawn that will assist health professionals plan and carry out better rapid data collection in the future. The objective of the study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of data gathered during the rapid surveys as compared with a recent "gold standard" national survey. A two-way factorial design was used to control for differences in sampling (probability versus quasi-probability) and methods of data collection (paper versus palmtop computer). Few differences were detected between the surveys done on palmtops as compared to paper ones, but urban and rural differentials in contraceptive use were less pronounced in the rapid surveys than in the earlier, national survey. This suggests that caution should be exercised in interpreting the disaggregated data in these rapid surveys. In-depth interviews revealed two features of the rapid surveys that were especially popular: the palmtops for their speed of data entry, and the short questionnaire for its "low impact" on a respondent's time. The common belief that computers would disturb respondents was not found to be the case. Even with no computer experience, the interviewers rapidly mastered the new technology.

Este trabajo detalla algunos aspectos de la prueba en el terreno de dos encuestas rápidas efectuadas en el Ecuador en 1995. Examina el diseño y la aplicación de las encuestas; la preparación y el uso de computadoras de bolsillo preprogramadas para la inclusión de los datos; los criterios de selección del equipo de entrevistadores, y el diseño del adiestramiento. Se extraen lecciones que ayudarán a los profesionales de la salud a mejorar en su futuro desempeño la forma de planificar y llevar a cabo sus actividades de recolección rápida de datos. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la fiabilidad y validez de los datos recolectados durante las encuestas rápidas, en comparación con las de una encuesta nacional reciente que sirvió de "patrón de oro". Se aplicó un diseño factorial de doble vía para controlar el efecto de las diferencias de muestreo (probabilidad frente a quasi-probabilidad) y de los métodos de recolección de datos (en papel o en computadora de bolsillo). Se detectaron pocas diferencias entre las encuestas efectuadas con computadoras de bolsillo en comparación con las efectuadas en papel, pero hubo menos diferencias entre datos de procedencia urbana y rural respecto al uso de anticonceptivos en las encuestas rápidas que en la encuesta anterior, de alcance nacional. Esto indica que debe observarse precaución a la hora de interpretar los datos desglosados recogidos mediante estas encuestas rápidas. Las entrevistas a fondo revelaron dos rasgos de las encuestas rápidas que gozaron de gran popularidad: las computadoras de bolsillo por la rapidez con la que se incorporan los datos, y el cuestionario corto por su "poco impacto" en el tiempo del encuestado. La creencia general de que los encuestados se sentirían incómodos con las computadoras no se observó en la realidad. Aun sin tener experiencia en el uso de computadoras, los entrevistadores aprendieron a manejar la nueva tecnología sin dificultad.