Afforestation on agricultural land in southern Spain: an important driver to improve forest landscape connectivity

Navarro-Cerrillo, Rafael M.; Rivas, Carlos A.; Quinto, Luis; Hernández-Navarro, Salvador; Varo-Martínez, ́María Ángeles; Palacios-Rodríguez, Palacios

doi:10.1007/s11056-022-09956-4

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The cost assigned to each type of land cover was similar to that calculated by Navarro-Cerrillo et al (2022) and Quimis et al (2023) (Table 1). Links between patches of native dry forest were created by means of cumulative cost depending on the land cover (Table 1), with a complete link topology (all the links between patches are potentially taken into account), ignoring links crossing a patch and saving real paths (Clauzel et al, 2019).…”

Section: Connectivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An analysis of the links between habitat patches of native dry forest was then carried out, during which their number, their distance in metres and their distance in costs in the years 1990, 2000, 2008, and 2018 at the same three distances were calculated. Once the connectivity analyses had been conducted, components were identified within the study area (Urban & Keitt, 2001): a component TA B L E 1 Land cover proposed by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment, the assigned cost of moving through them according to Navarro-Cerrillo et al (2022) and Quimis et al (2023) and their reclassification for land cover change. TA B L E 2 Description of connectivity metrics analysed according to Clauzel et al (2019) and ecological meaning according to bibliographic references.…”

Section: Connectivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of habitat connectivity in a highly fragmented ecosystem: The seasonal tropical dry forest in Ecuador

Rivas,

Guerrero‐Casado,

Navarro‐Cerrillo

2024

Applied Vegetation Science

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ContextConnectivity is a parameter that plays a fundamental role in highly fragmented ecosystems, such as the seasonal tropical dry forest.ObjectivesThe objective of this research is to calculate the evolution of fragmentation and the functional connectivity of the Ecuadorian seasonal dry forest from 1990 to 2018, and to compare the Ecuadorian state's reforestation plan with our reforestation plan, which is based on maximising connectivity with the smallest possible reforested area.MethodsThe land cover changes, fragmentation and functional connectivity, measured by employing cumulative cost analyses at three different distances (0.5, 5 and 10 km), that occurred in Ecuadorian seasonal dry forests between 1990 and 2018 were verified using GIS environments, vector layers and Graphab software. A reforestation plan was also developed using various connectivity metrics and was then compared with that proposed by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment.ResultsBetween 1990 and 2018, 2647 km2 of dry forest was lost in the study area. Former forest areas were put mainly to agricultural uses, which increased by 12.96%. The total number of patches decreased from 6908 to 5357, signifying a loss of 30% of the forest area and leading to losses of up to 75% of connectivity. Areas with low connectivity and a risk of disappearance were identified, and a new reforestation plan was proposed, which was based on maximising connectivity with small patches.ConclusionsBecause of the fragmentation, the connectivity of the seasonal dry forest in Ecuador is dramatically decreasing in the last decades. Therefore, the reforestation plans should prioritise areas whose reforestation increases habitat functional connectivity, which could provide more benefits than increasing the forest area without considering the global connectivity.

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Section: Connectivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Connectivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of habitat connectivity in a highly fragmented ecosystem: The seasonal tropical dry forest in Ecuador

Rivas,

Guerrero‐Casado,

Navarro‐Cerrillo

2024

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…In one, new patches are created in areas close to existing patches, fostering new connections and creating more corridors between patches; therefore, species are more likely to benefit from improved connectivity [54]. The second dynamic is that recovery areas (new patches) are created in areas far from existing ones; these areas will have more difficulty recovering and maintaining their biodiversity [55]. This is observed by increasing the number of components, which occurred especially in the Galapagos Islands.…”

Section: Connectivity Of Mangrove Forests In Ecuadormentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest Fragmentation and Landscape Connectivity Changes in Ecuadorian Mangroves: Some Hope for the Future?

et al. 2023

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This study investigates the impact of fragmentation on Ecuador’s coastal mangrove forests. Fragmentation is identified as a primary cause of aquatic ecosystem degradation. We analyzed the relationship between habitat loss, fragmentation, and mangrove connectivity through a multitemporal approach using Global Mangrove Watch and fragmentation and connectivity metrics. The terrain was divided into 10 km2 hexagons, and six fragmentation metrics were calculated. A Getis–Ord Gi* statistical analysis was used to identified areas with the best and worst conservation status, while connectivity analyses were performed for a generic species with a 5 km dispersion. Findings revealed widespread mangrove fragmentation in Ecuador, with geographical differences between the insular region (Galapagos) and the mainland coast. Minimal loss or even expansion of mangrove forests in areas like the Galapagos Islands contrasted with severe fragmentation along the mainland coast. Transformation of forests into fisheries, mainly prawn factories, was the primary driver of change, while only a weak correlation was observed between mangrove fragmentation and conversion to agriculture, which accounts for less than 15% of all deforestation in Ecuador. Fragmentation may increase or decrease depending on the management of different deforestation drivers and should be considered in large-scale mangrove monitoring. Focusing only on mangrove deforestation rates in defining regional conservation priorities may overlook the loss of ecosystem functions and fragmentation.

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“…Current flow (CF) is based on circuit theory and analysis of the links between patches at landscape scale. These metrics have already shown their usefulness in analyzing connectivity in fragmented landscapes [38,39]. The number, distance in cost and distance of the links for the four scenarios were also calculated.…”

Section: Connectivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest Plantations in Manabí (Ecuador): Assessment of Fragmentation and Connectivity to Support Dry Tropical Forests Conservation

et al. 2023

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In many tropical regions, national forests plantation programs have been promoted. Those plantations frequently contribute to habitat changes. However, the associated effects of forest plantations on habitat fragmentation and landscape connectivity are unclear. From 2008 to 2018, we examined land use changes, plantations, and deforestation of the Manabí province (Ecuador) provided by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment. Four scenarios were created: (i) land uses in 2008, (ii) land uses in 2018, (iii) land uses in 2018 without deforestation, and iv) land uses in 2018 including reforestation. Fragmentation and connectivity metrics were analyzed using ArcGisPro and Graphad 2.6 software, respectively. Puma yagouaroundi was selected as the reference species. At regional scale, forest plantations had a significant effect on land uses changes and fragmentation during the study period. Forests decreased from 33.7% to 32.4% between 2008 and 2018, although other natural land uses, mostly those involving shrubs, increased by almost double (from 2.4% to 4.6%). Most of the deforestation affected native forests during this period, and most reforested areas in 2018 covered former agricultural land. Fragmentation decreased in the number of patches and increased in the average patch size. When considering reforestation, deforestation was higher than the reforested area (58 km2 of difference), increasing the number of patches but with smaller size. Reforestation increased connectivity with a higher number of links and distance, particularly in central and extreme northeast areas of Manabí province. The scenario without deforestation also increased connectivity for Puma yagouaroundi in the west part of the Manabí province. Our findings suggest that forest plantations contribute to forest conservation by increasing the connectivity between fragmented patches.

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Afforestation on agricultural land in southern Spain: an important driver to improve forest landscape connectivity

Cited by 8 publications

References 55 publications

Assessment of habitat connectivity in a highly fragmented ecosystem: The seasonal tropical dry forest in Ecuador

Assessment of habitat connectivity in a highly fragmented ecosystem: The seasonal tropical dry forest in Ecuador

Forest Fragmentation and Landscape Connectivity Changes in Ecuadorian Mangroves: Some Hope for the Future?

Forest Plantations in Manabí (Ecuador): Assessment of Fragmentation and Connectivity to Support Dry Tropical Forests Conservation

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