lorax

Sounds very similar to my own situation. I've had good luck employing the local tribes, but the same intimidation problems crop up. It's why we all carry blowguns, and why in one of the reserves we have canopy ropes. You can't protect your forest unless you're willing to enforce boundaries, and the best way to keep your workers dedicated is to give them a real stake in what you're doing. Mine are all part of the reserve in a very physical way - they're integral to the natural medicine research program, and they have a share in the gardens, so they're actually protecting their own livelihoods. I'm hoping to start a tapir breeding project to help reduce the poaching that occurs in the area; we already breed guanta (agouti relatives)

I'd say your fastest route to some extra spending money is to grow the alternative bananas - they're a fast crop, and they're not affected overmuch by the monsoons. It's very sensible to begin there and with papayas. For bananas, I'd reccomend what will most likely be called Morados or Guineo Rosado (these are Jamaican Reds), and Oritos/Bananitos (these are "baby" bananas), along with plantains of some sort, and if you can get your hands on any of the pink-fleshed bananas.

If so, start planting RIGHT NOW. Go out into your surrounding community and beg, borrow, barter, and buy all the banana pups you can fit on your burro. Plant in rings of about 10' diameter, interspersed with papaya to reduce incidence of disease. These two plants have a number of advantages, beginning with fast maturity and ending with highly saleable crops. It's probably also a good idea to plant Guavas; they're very drought hardy, thrive in depleted soils, and they are handy nitrogen-fixers.

On the hardwoods front, here's the list.

Teak = Tectona spp. I have T. grandis in a number of forests.
Cedron = Cedrela odorata and C. montana
Ahuano = Swietenia macrophylla. AKA Caoba
Palo Santo = Bursera graveolens - this is an incensewood.
Canelo = Drimys winteri - this is used in luthiery (guitarmaking) and prized as a hardwood.
Balsa = Oochroma pyramidalis
Sangre de Drago = Croton eleuteria and Croton lechlerii
Canela = Cinammomum spp
Cassia = Cassia spp
Senna = Senna spp
Jacaranda = Jacaranda copaia
Rosewood = Dalbergia nigra
Purpleheart = Peltogyne spp
Jatoba / Brazilian Cherry / Guapinol = Hymenaea courbaril

In the very long-run, it's also a good idea to plant some nut trees. Cashews, Macadamia, and Juglans neotropica (tropical Walnut) are all valuable both as food and timber trees.

If I were you, I'd also be planting Cecropia spp (I like C. palmata, but see what's native to your forests), Yaloman (I have no idea what this is actually called scientifically; it's a legume tree with fragrant purple flowers that resemble Pawlonia), and Ceiba pentandra. It's also a good idea to culture in palms; the best for this are Socratea exorrhiza, Mauritia flexuosa, and Bactris gasiapes - these three produce edible and saleable fruits. You'll probably also have good luck with Inga edulis (Guabo), a fast-grower that produces giant edible beans.