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Andrew C. Millington - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Land‐Use and Land‐Cover Change in the Páramo of South‐Central Ecuador, 1979–2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
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land use and land cover change in the Paramo of south central ecuador 1979 2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
Cristina Ross - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Land‐Use and Land‐Cover Change in the Páramo of South‐Central Ecuador, 1979–2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
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land use and land cover change in the Paramo of south central ecuador 1979 2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
Wouter Buytaert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the effects of afforestation and cultivation on water yield in the andean Paramo
Forest Ecology and Management, 2007Co-Authors: Wouter Buytaert, Vicente Iniguez, Bert De BievreAbstract:Over the last decades, the Andean highlands of Ecuador have been characterised by intense afforestation efforts, in order to increase the economic return of less viable agricultural areas, reduce erosion and, more recently, to sequestrate atmospheric carbon. Afforestation with Pinus species is widespread in the high altitudinal grasslands known as Paramos. The impact of Pinus patula afforestation on the water yield is studied and compared to the more common practice of intensive grazing and potato cultivation in four microcatchments in the Paute river basin in south Ecuador. Two catchments are covered with natural grassland vegetation, one is converted to pine forest, and one is drained, partly intensively grazed, and partly cultivated with potatoes. The results indicate that afforestation withP.patula reduces the water yield by about 50%, or an average of 242 mm year 1 . The water yield of the cultivated catchment is very similar to that of the natural catchments, but analysis of the flow duration curves suggests a faster response and a loss of base flow. These effects may have important implications for a sustainable management of the Paramo ecosystem, given that the Paramo is the major water supplier for the Andean highlands. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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human impact on the hydrology of the andean Paramos
Earth-Science Reviews, 2006Co-Authors: Wouter Buytaert, Bert De Bievre, Rolando Celleri, Felipe Cisneros, Guido Wyseure, Jozef Deckers, R G M HofstedeAbstract:This paper analyses the problems involved in the conservation and management of the hydrological system of the South American Paramo. The Paramo consists of a collection of neotropical alpine grassland ecosystems covering the upper region of the northern Andes. They play a key role in the hydrology of the continent. Many of the largest tributaries of the Amazon basin have their headwaters in the Paramo. It is also the major water source for the Andean highlands and a vast area of arid and semi-arid lowlands, where Paramo water is used for domestic, agricultural and industrial consumption, and the generation of hydropower. Recently, the Paramo is increasingly used for intensive cattle grazing, cultivation, and pine planting, among others. These activities, as well as global phenomena such as climate change, severely alter the hydrological regime. A review on the state of knowledge of its hydrology is given in a first part. In a second part, the impact of human activities and climate change on the hydrology of the Paramo is discussed.
Stephen Fildes - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Land‐Use and Land‐Cover Change in the Páramo of South‐Central Ecuador, 1979–2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
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land use and land cover change in the Paramo of south central ecuador 1979 2014
Land, 2017Co-Authors: Cristina Ross, Stephen Fildes, Andrew C. MillingtonAbstract:Land use and land cover were mapped between 3500 and 5000 meters above sea level m.a.s.l. in the Rio Chambo basin in south-central Ecuador from Landsat MSS, TM, ETM and OLI imagery acquired between 1979 and 2014. The area mapped has been dominated by Paramo and a variety of agricultural land uses since 1979. The main land-use transitions have been from Paramo to agriculture, native forest to Paramo and agriculture, and agriculture back to Paramo. Significant areas of Paramo have remained unchanged over the 35-year period analyzed, while the area of native forest has declined and that of bare soil increased. Plantations of non-native timber species increased from 1979 to 1999, but their area has now declined. Most land-use transformations have occurred at lower elevations in the 3500–5000 m.a.s.l. range. This is particularly the case for the loss of native forest and the degradation of Paramo and agriculture to areas of bare (eroded) soils. A drivers-based approach revealed that these land-use transformations were related to import substitution and afforestation policies geared toward internal markets, exports and environmental conservation.
Paul M. Ramsay - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The impact of fire intensity on plant growth forms in high-altitude Andean grassland
2020Co-Authors: Maya Ariana Zomer, Paul M. RamsayAbstract:Fires in the Paramo grasslands of the tropical northern Andes vary in intensity at the landscape scale. Fire suppression strategies, intended to conserve biodiversity and Paramo ecosystem integrity and function, could lead to the accumulation of high fuel loads and ultimately fires of higher intensity. Yet the impact of fire intensity on Paramos is not well studied or understood. 5½ years after a fire, we measured plant growth form composition, light transmission to the ground and soil temperature in plots representing very high, high, medium, and low fire intensities, plus a "control" that had been unburned for at least 40 years. We also assessed Espeletia rosette diameters, heights, population density, and mortality. The low intensity plot, with a closed canopy of vegetation and lower growth form diversity, contrasted with the very high intensity plot, with patchy vegetation cover and higher growth form diversity. The high intensity plot had shorter Espeletia plants with smaller rosettes. Light transmission to the ground increased with fire intensity, as did soil temperatures. We demonstrate that the same fire can produce different microenvironmental conditions, plant communities, and population structures in different parts of the same fire event. In future, fire suppression could provoke more intense fires with consequences for ecosystem function and service provision. Since intensity is determined by a complex interaction of factors, we advocate a field programme of experimental fires for a better understanding of Paramo fire ecology and to guide effective Paramo conservation strategies.
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Post-fire changes in plant growth form composition in Andean Paramo grassland
2020Co-Authors: Maya Ariana Zomer, Paul M. RamsayAbstract:QuestionsFire suppression policies have been widely adopted in the Paramo grasslands of the northern Andes to protect their biodiversity and ecosystem services. Paramos have been regularly burned for many years, and it is not clear how Paramo vegetation will respond to significant changes in their fire regimes. This study investigates differences in plant growth form composition, light levels and soil temperatures in Paramo plots representing a range of recovery times since the last fire. LocationReserva Ecologica El Angel and La Bretana Nature Reserve, Carchi, Northern Ecuador. MethodsWe assessed the frequency of ten Paramo growth forms, vegetation height, soil temperature, and light intensity in fifteen fire sites with historical records of fire (
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Diversity of zonal páramo plant communities in Ecuador
Diversity and Distributions, 2001Co-Authors: Petr Sklenár, Paul M. RamsayAbstract:. Patterns of vascular plant species diversity in high-altitude Ecuadorian ecosystems (‘Paramos’) are examined. Data from two independent surveys were used: the first from 12 different locations and 192 samples, the other from 18 locations and 243 samples. These surveys included 348 and 284 species, respectively. The data confirmed the occurrence of two main zones in terms of vascular plant species diversity. The grass Paramo and superParamo were distinguished by differences in plant cover, species richness, α-diversity and β-diversity. The transition between these two zones begins at around 4000 m. Grass Paramo samples comprised more species but the strong dominance of tussock grasses resulted in low equitability compared with the superParamo, where safe sites for plant survival are limited and the environment does not permit continuous grass cover. Turnover of species across the altitudinal gradient is higher in the grass Paramo than in the superParamo. This is due largely to agricultural fires at lower altitudes, which create a fine-scale mosaic of burned patches that enhances variability at this scale. Despite the loss of equitability, intermediate levels of fire disturbance appear to promote species richness within the samples. It is suggested that the complex patterns of Paramo diversity in the Ecuadorian Andes are largely the outcome of three interrelated factors: altitude, disturbance and the availability of safe sites at the highest altitudes.
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Páramo spiders of Volcán Chiles
2001Co-Authors: Anne Oxbrough, Paul M. RamsayAbstract:Spiders were collected from the Paramo using pitfall traps to investigate the relationship between species diversity and abundance with habitat type and altitude. An altitudinal range of 3300-4300m was used with traps being set in various habitat types: zonal Paramo grassland, riparian zone, Polylepis woodland, mire and scree (talus). The body length of spiders from the zonal grassland was also measured. Paramo spiders employed a wide range of hunting strategies and exhibited differences in body size that may restrict competitive interactions and permit coexistence. However, there is some evidence that certain groups may be negatively associated. Specialisation to particular habitat types appears to be limtied to a relatively large number of rare species, and common spiders were not habitat-restricted. Polylepis woodland assemblages were most distinct from those of the other habitat types. In the zonal Paramo, a significant decline in spider abundance and diversity coincided with the change from grassy Paramo to cushion Paramo (superParamo) at around 4000-4100m. The reduced structural complexity of vegetation above this transition zone provides fewer potential niches for the spider and prey. The species diversity of vegetation decreases with altitude and may limit the range of prey availability, again related to the decline in the diversity and structural complexity of vegetation at higher altitudes. It is suggested that future studies should define morphospecies and focus on functional attributes of spiders (e.g., feeding strategies, body size): this would provide useful ecological information as well as specimens for taxonomic work in developing keys for pararmo spiders.