Maps of the Distribution of Polylepis Forests in Southern Peru

Morales-Aranibar L.; Morales-Aranibar C. · Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (2023) · DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-21432-5_332

Resumen

Polylepis is a unique genus for the South American Andes. Currently it is disappearing due to climate changes and mainly due to anthropogenic activities. There are also challenges such as information gaps for the delimitation of species and distribution for this part of southern Peru. The objective of this research is to clarify the distribution of Polylepis forests in the Tacna region, Peru. The methodology was based on exploring the forests of Polylepis where information relevant to the realization of forest zoning was collected and taken. In the Tacna region, two species were identified: P. Rugulosa and P. Tarapacana; 25 forests were identified, distributed in the four provinces of the Tacna region. P. Rugulosa is located in the provinces of Candarave, Jorge Basadre and Tarata, distributed in 14 forests, with an average altitude of 3919 m.a.s.l.m. P. Tarapacana is located in the provinces of Tacna and Tarata, with an average altitude of 4530 m.a.s.l.m., belonging to the Cold Zone in the region; both species are fragmented. These are important data, as the susceptibility of these forests to further fragmentation and genetic loss has been observed, requiring greater protection and planning.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann; Universidad Nacional Intercultural de Quillabamba