Socio-Ecological Barriers to the Sustainable Management of the Andean Walnut (Juglans neotropica) and the Value Paradox in the Ecuadorian Andes: A Case Study from Imbabura Province, Ecuador

The Andean walnut (Juglans neotropica Diels), locally known as tocte, is a keystone tree species of major socio-ecological importance in South American mountain ecosystems, facing severe anthropogenic pressure associated with genetic erosion, habitat fragmentation, and unregulated selective logging. This article presents a case study applying a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine the power relations and institutional failures shaping the sustainable management of its value chain in Imbabura Province, Ecuador. Drawing on 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with key actors (including woodcarvers, sawyers, traders, and environmental authorities) conducted between March and September 2025 until theoretical saturation was achieved, and supported by thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, we identified five thematic categories revealing the tension between cultural valuation and market pressure. The findings confirm the existence of a value paradox, whereby high timber demand paradoxically accelerates resource depletion rather than incentivizing conservation, as premature harvesting of young trees undermines the viability of non-timber forest products such as nuts and accelerates the loss of local genetic resources. We conclude that the long-term conservation of the species requires a transition toward polycentric stewardship, community forestry enterprises, and integrated landscape management in which the standing tree is formally recognized as carrying greater ecological and economic value than harvested timber.