"This book reports on a 6-year interdisciplinary research project on natural resource management in Cotacachi, Ecuador, where scientists and indigenous groups seek common ground. It discusses how local people have engaged the environment over time to create contemporary Andean landscapes. Human-environment interaction in relation to biodiversity, soils and water, and equitable development are also discussed. This book will be of interest to social and biological scientists researching environment and agriculture in rural communities."--Jacket.