El bosque terciario (2009)

'Bosque terciario' may be translated as 'tertiary wood'. As it were, from the perspective of natural sciences, forests may be classified according to their degree of contamination by external factors - be they natural of man-created. 'Primary woods' are forests entirely maintaining their original characteristics, along with maximum biodiversity. 'Secondary wood' are forests undergoing - or having already undergone - a process of external influence brought about by factors as diverse as the growth of smaller trees, intricate under-bush or aggressive 'pioneer species'. As to 'tertiary woods', they simply do not exist. In Macas, Eastern Ecuador, the Foundación Chankuap' has an invaluable role as an intermediary between international co-operants and the native communities living in the forests along the Peru border. Relationships between the 'inside' and the 'outside' of the forest are carefully ruled: every action has to be considerately planned, so as not to alter the forest's fragile ecology. The films focuses on particular moments in the relationship between Chankuap' co-operants and the native communities as they discuss crucial development issues. And yet, the film shows, 'development' is a word with as many meanings as are the people talking about it...