Conservation Gaps Associated with Threatened Wildlife in Chimborazo Province

Abstract

Abstract The identification of conservation gaps through a systemic planning process allows for the design and evaluation of initiatives for determining conservation areas at different geographical scales. The purpose of this study was to determine the conservation gaps associated with threatened wildlife in Chimborazo, Ecuador. A documentary research was used including a systematic review of 26 geographic and bibliographic information sources on 10 wildlife variables, a multicriteria analysis in GIS using six criteria, the statistical analysis of independent variables using a Chi-square test, and the development of a correspondence analysis. The results showed that in Chimborazo province, 311 species of wildlife were registered, of which 13% are in a degree of threat. To mitigate the problems associated with the loss of wildlife, two strategies are required, mainly through the leadership and active participation of the 10 public sector actors. In addition, it was identified that the conservation gaps associated with threatened wildlife are mainly found in the “paramo” ecosystem and comprise an area of 143,302 ha, which corresponds to 22% of province's extension. This information should be used by the institutions related to the management of the natural resources of the province to deepen the studies on the ranges of distribution of species in threat category and promote actions that allow the conservation and sustainable use of the natural heritage from the province.

Keywords

• fauna, threats, conservation gaps, multi-criteria analysis.