Myriam Elizabeth Saavedra López - Repositorio Digital USFQ ...

Acknowledgements
I would like to express my sincere thanks to my director, Gonzalo Mendieta, PhD, Academic Dean of
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, for his help, support and correction of my thesis. I will like to
also express my thanks to Bwangoy Bankanza, PhD student at South Dakota State University and
Congo Program Manager for Ecosystem Restoration Associates, for the thesis idea, his help in giving
us acces to the the facilitation the data set, the first bibliographic references and sharing his in-depth
knowledge and insight of the study area (primary, equatorial lowland, forests of the Congo Basin).
Carlos Mena, PhD was very helpful providing sereval recommendations that have included in this work.
Finally, I am grateful to John Kendall, RPF and Chief Climate Forester of Ecosystems Restoration
Associates, for teaching me basic knowledge about forest ecology, silviculture and management and
for his patience in helping me with the edition my this work.
I appreciate all the knowledge which was transmitted to me by each and everyone of my teachers of
the masters program at USFQ. It one way or another their teachings have contributed to the writing
of this thesis. I am also very appreciative for the unlimited library access granted to me by Simon
Fraser University library which helped to enhance my understanding of the topic.
I also would like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support, especially my
husband who has supported me in key aspects of this work.
This thesis is dedicated to those struggling to obtain personal goals in the midst of adversity and, by
doing so, help to confirm their faith in God and in themselves.
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