Tropical dry forests of Venezuela: characterization and current conservation status
Tropical dry forests are located predominantly in the northern portion of Venezuela, above 6°N. Although their potential extent covers ca 400,000 km2 (44% of the land), they currently occupy about 10 percent of this area. The diversity and complexity of Venezuelan dry forests increases from north to...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Biotropica 2005-12, Vol.37 (4), p.531-546 |
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Zusammenfassung: | Tropical dry forests are located predominantly in the northern portion of Venezuela, above 6°N. Although their potential extent covers ca 400,000 km2 (44% of the land), they currently occupy about 10 percent of this area. The diversity and complexity of Venezuelan dry forests increases from north to south along a gradient of decreasing severity of the dry season. A typical dry forest in Venezuela presents ca 110-170 species of plants from ca 40 to 50 families within an area of approximately 10 ha. Species composition and forest structure, however, are dependent on local landscape conditions (e.g., soil type, topography), and nearby forest types can be very different. Our analysis of five dry forest variants showed a maximum family similarity of 67 percent, although most values fell in the 50-60 percent interval. They are currently considered as one of Venezuela's most threatened ecosystems, but only 5 percent of extant dry forests are included in protected areas; this represents 0.5 percent of their potential extent. It is fundamental to promote the creation of at least 3 or 4 more large protected areas (ca 5000 ha), with different climatic and orographic characteristics, in combination with the recovery of threatened species, the restoration of degraded systems, and the implementation of sustainable development projects. Their apparent high resilience suggests that with the proper management we can restore and maintain the integrity of Venezuelan dry forests. /// Los bosques secos tropicales de Venezuela se ubican predominantemente al norte del país, por encima de los 6°N. Aunque su distribución potencial abarca ca 400,000 km2 (44 porciento del territorio terrestre), actualmente ocupan 10 porciento de esta área. La diversidad y complejidad de bosques secos en Venezuela aumenta de norte al sur, la dirección en la que el número de meses secos disminuye de 8 a 3. Un bosque seco típico en Venezuela presenta ca 110-170 especies de plantas, de ca 40-50 familias. La composición de especies y la estructura de los bosques, sin embargo, son dependientes de las condiciones locales del terreno (e.g., tipo de suelo, topografía), por lo que tipos de bosque cercanos pueden ser muy diferentes. Nuestro análisis de cinco variantes reveló una similaridad entre familias de 67 porciento, aunque la mayoría de los valores cayó entre 50 y 60 porciento. Actualmente son considerados como uno de los ecosistemas venezolanos más amenazadas, pero sólo 5 porciento de los bosques secos |
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ISSN: | 0006-3606 1744-7429 |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2005.00071.x |