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Forest Ecosystem Fragmentation in Ecuador: Challenges for Sustainable Land Use in the Tropical Andean

Author

Listed:
  • Jin Kyoung Noh

    (Laboratorio de Cambio Global, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150101, Ecuador)

  • Cristian Echeverria

    (Laboratorio de Ecología de Paisaje, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 41, Chile)

  • Gabriel Gaona

    (Departamento de Recursos Hídricos y Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Cuenca, Av.12 de Abril, Cuenca 010203, Ecuador)

  • Janina Kleemann

    (Department of Sustainable Landscape Development, Institute for Geosciences and Geography, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany)

  • Hongmi Koo

    (Department of Sustainable Landscape Development, Institute for Geosciences and Geography, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany)

  • Christine Fürst

    (Department of Sustainable Landscape Development, Institute for Geosciences and Geography, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Von-Seckendorff-Platz 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
    German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Pablo Cuenca

    (Laboratorio de Cambio Global, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150101, Ecuador
    Grupo de Investigación Ecosistemas Tropicales y Cambio Global, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150101, Ecuador)

Abstract

Natural ecosystems are declining and fragmenting globally at unprecedented rates. Fragmentation of natural ecosystems leads to decline in functions and services with severe impact on people. In Ecuador, despite establishment of the nationwide ecosystem classification, this baseline information has not been fully exploited to generate a monitoring system for ecosystem changes. Forest ecosystems are altered daily in Ecuador by human impact, but the relationship between forest fragmentation and human land use has not been adequately explored. To provide an overview of how recent forest fragmentation at the national and ecosystem level was affected by practices in human land use, we quantified the degree of forest fragmentation using the forest fragmentation index (FFI). The relationship between the degree of forest ecosystem fragmentation and human land use of 64 natural forest ecosystems was analyzed during the time period 1990 to 2014. At the national level, the expansion of pasture and inhabited area significantly increased forest fragmentation. The regression models based on the FFI value indicated that the forest fragmentation was highly correlated to pastures in forest ecosystems with low, moderate, and high fragmentation in 2014 due to a progressive increase in pastures. This study showed the critical gaps between forest conservation strategies and actual practices in human land use.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin Kyoung Noh & Cristian Echeverria & Gabriel Gaona & Janina Kleemann & Hongmi Koo & Christine Fürst & Pablo Cuenca, 2022. "Forest Ecosystem Fragmentation in Ecuador: Challenges for Sustainable Land Use in the Tropical Andean," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:2:p:287-:d:748536
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    References listed on IDEAS

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