Identificación de áreas naturales conservadas de Cinchona officinalis L., en la región Sur del Ecuador

Cinchona officinalis L. belongs to the Rubiaceae family, it is considered the national plant of Ecuador and it is a species that is widely used for its healing properties, which has caused the reduction of its populations and habitat. The purpose of this research was to contribute to the knowledge of the conservation status of Cinchona officinalis L., in the southern region of Ecuador, through the identification of conserved natural areas. The potential distribution model of the species was carried out and its conserved and lost natural areas were identified. The potential distribution model was made with the MaxEnt program, records of presence and environmental variables; we worked with 19 bioclimatic variables and one of terrain elevation. The validation of the model was carried out using the AUC statistic, and to know the contribution of the environmental variables to the model, the Jackknife test was applied. The potential distribution model was adjusted to the habitat where the species develops using the forest layer of Ecuador in 2018, with which the natural potential distribution area was obtained. The conserved natural potential area was determined by crossing layers in Qgis of the natural potential distribution area with conservation schemes such as protected areas, forests and protective vegetation, and the Socio Bosque program. The lost natural potential area was obtained by crossing the natural potential distribution area and the Ecuadorian forest layer. The potential natural areas conserved and lost were calculated for the years 2000, 2008, 2014, and 2018. The potential distribution area for Cinchona officinalis L. in the southern region of Ecuador was 1’276.772,21 hectares and the natural potential geographic distribution area was 710.792,09 hectares, with an AUC with test data of 0,918. The environmental variables with the greatest contribution to the model were elevation (1 212-2 914 m.s.n.m), Minimum temperature of the coldest month (6,81-15,94 °C), and the average temperature of the coldest quarter (12,21-22,68 °C), the same ones that have useful information by themselves to predict the distribution of the species. The probability of occurrence of Cinchona officinalis L. in the southern region of Ecuador is high in an area of 12.932,29 hectares, medium in 352.806,50 hectares and low in 345.053,30 hectares. Loja is the province in the southern region of Ecuador that has areas with a high probability that Cinchona officinalis L. is potentially naturally distributed. The natural area conserved in the southern region of Ecuador for the species was 327.366,58 hectares and the lost potential natural areas were 76.445,41 hectares. The natural potential distribution area of Cinchona officinalis L. is discontinuous and fragmented as a result of land-use change. The presence of conservation strategies in the southern region of Ecuador such as protected and private areas has contributed to the conservation of the potential natural range of the species. Keywords: MaxEnt, Cinchona officinalis L., potential geographic distribution, potential natural distribution.

• Autor Principal: Jiménez Jiménez, Lorena Sthefania (author)
• Formato: bachelorThesis
• Idioma: spa
• Publicado: 2021
• Subjects: CINCHONA OFFICINALIS; DISTRIBUCION GEOGRAFICA; CONSERVACION
• Acceso en liña: https://dspace.unl.edu.ec/jspui/handle/123456789/24164