Abstract
The protection of natural areas is considered an essential strategy for environment conservation. The objective of this work was to determine the level of vulnerability, considering the characterization and identification of the risk zones and ecological protection of the Pagaibamba Protection Forest (PPF, Peru). To determine the vulnerable areas, Landsat ETM satellite images, topographic, geological, ecological, and vegetation cover maps were used. Geological, physiographic, edaphological, vegetation cover, and land use potential characteristics, were analyzed. Three Ecological Protection and Risk Zones were identified, with the largest extension of the PPF corresponding to lands of very high and high vulnerability and high ecological risk, which include >85% of Protected Natural Areas (PNA) and 54% of the Buffer Zone (BZ). Moderate risk areas represent 30% of the Buffer Zone (BZ) and 13% of the PNA, and the low-risk areas (represent 15% of the BZ and 2% of the PNA). Biogeographically, the PPF was related to the Cloudy Montane Forests Ecoregion of the Andes Mountains, standing out the Tropical Montane Cloud Forest (TMCF) and the Tropical Lower Montane Cloud Forest (TLMCF). These forests are a global conservation priority due to their great biodiversity, high level of endemicity of flora and fauna, and the crucial hydrological function they fulfill.
Highlights
IntroductionIntroduction published maps and institutional affilSoil loss due to erosion is tolerable when the rate of soil renewal is not exceeded
The vegetation protects the soil from damage against erosion and reduces the disaggregation and transport capacity of the edaphic material, intervening at the beginning of a rain event and intercepting part of the water that falls on the leaves and branches of the plant [4]
The method used in our research allowed us to identify the physiographic units and the soil units, carry out the proper checks in the field, and carry out the respective analyses, taxonomically classifying the soils that develop within the PPF
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilSoil loss due to erosion is tolerable when the rate of soil renewal is not exceeded. The vegetation protects the soil from damage against erosion and reduces the disaggregation and transport capacity of the edaphic material, intervening at the beginning of a rain event and intercepting part of the water that falls on the leaves and branches of the plant [4]. It has been claimed that any land use that modifies the type and density of the original plant populations and exposes the soil leads to its degradation [5]. This risk situation has developed the need to protect natural areas in many countries as a strategy, to save habitats or landscapes from the destruction that receive the social and legal consideration of natural heritage [6,7]
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