Identificación de elementos del paisaje prioritarios para la conservación de biodiversidad en paisajes rurales de los Andes Centrales de Colombia

Using a novel methodology based on the spatial distribution of three
biological groups which operate at different spatial and ecological scales, we
identify landscape elements that are priorities for biodiversity conservation
strategies in rural landscapes in Andean Colombia. The study was developed in a
rural landscape dominated by cattle production in the Barbas river canyon,
located on the western slope of the central mountain range of Colombia between
1,700 and 2,100 m, in sub-andean forest. We measured the accumulated alpha and
average beta diversity for three target groups (plants-trees and shrubs, birds
and terrestrial ants) found in different landscape elements (forests, forest
fragments, riparian forests, edges, grasslands and forest plantations). We
identify priority areas for conservation using a conservation value index which
uses information on species richness, the number of endangered species, and the
number of endemic species in each landscape element. Our results show high alpha
diversity for all three biological groups, and suggest that alpha diversity
decreases along the gradient from native habitats to habitats transformed by
human activity. Beta diversity showed different patterns among groups, high for
plants (β = 0.24; SD = 0.2), and intermediate for birds (β = 0.49; SD = 0.28),
and ants (β = 0.62; SD = 0.24). Our results suggest that each landscape element
preserves a particular species assemblage, and contributes to the high landscape
heterogeneity. Forests and forest fragments were the landscape elements with the
highest values for conservation in the rural landscape. Our results serve as
basis for the conservation strategy for the Barbas river canyon landscape.