The three editors of this volume, Jane Carter Ingram, Fabrice De Clerck, and Cristina Rumbatis del Rio, have collaborated on multiple projects addressing the role of ecology in poverty reduction and began working together at the Earth Institute of Columbia University. Their educational and professional backgrounds in ecology, geography, and sustainable development have served as the inspiration for this book and their professional pursuits. The editors hope that the issues presented and explored in this volume will serve to encourage ecological scientists and practitioners in international development fields to collaborate together to identify creative, sustainable and viable solutions to challenges preventing poverty alleviation around the world. J. Carter Ingram is the lead of the Ecosystem Services and Payments for Ecosystem Services group at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, NY.  Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio is an Associate Director at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, NY (USA). Fabrice De Clerck is a professor of community and landscape ecology at CATIE in Costa Rica.