Multitemporal Incidence of Landscape Fragmentation in a Protected Area of Central Andean Ecuador

Monitoring land cover changes in protected areas is crucial to control the conservation efficiency of biodiversity and natural ecosystem conditions, especially in Ecuador, one of the most megadiverse countries in the world. Therefore, the purpose of the present study has been to estimate spatiotemporal changes in the landscape and the level of fragmentation using remote sensing in Llanganates National Park (PNL), a protected area in central Andean Ecuador. To obtain land cover, satellite images were processed using the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm. After statistical analysis, it was encountered that there is no significant difference in land cover change between the years 1991 to 2016 nor among the three watersheds, while the level of fragmentation in the PNL is low. Land cover changes in the study area are not evident, as it is a protected area where ecosystems are usually expected to maintain their initial conditions over time. Therefore, with these results it has been concluded that the biodiversity and landscape conservation processes in the PNL are effective.

Automated summary

Monitoring land cover changes in protected areas is crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. This study used remote sensing to estimate spatiotemporal changes and fragmentation in Llanganates National Park (PNL), Ecuador. Satellite images were processed using the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm to obtain land cover. The analysis showed no significant land cover change between 1991 and 2016, and no difference among the three watersheds. The level of fragmentation in PNL was found to be low. These results indicate that biodiversity and landscape conservation processes in PNL are effective.