IDENTIFICATION OF EFFECTIVE POTENTIAL HABITATS, AND CONNECTIVITY FOR WILDLIFE, NANDAIME, NICARAGUA

Abstract

This study aims to identify effective and potential habitats inside a secondary dry forest patch of 4.26 ha and the existence of connection between this area and another natural area (the study of landscape) to serve as a corridor for wildlife in the Chipopa community, Nandarola, Nandaime. The habitats types were selected based on the floristic criteria. For the study of connectivity and fragmentation analysis was performed with satellite images to determine the types of coverage area and were used as spectral signatures of vegetation classes 2011 the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAG) and it was used theV_LATE 1.1 tool and the corridordesigner tool. The habitat was the largest area of trees with low infection lianas (AAPL) (3.05 ha) which represents 72% of the total area. In the bibliographic record 271 species were identified in the landscape, of these, 102 (38%) did not find habitat within the area. The effective habitats were determined through previous sampling, the main number of species (11 or 33%) were associate with AAPL. Among the potential habitats are: AAPL (23 or 17%) and area of trees with many lianas infection (AAML) (12 or 9%), however it is determined that 26 species (19%) prefer whole area as potential habitat. The landscape structure analysis indicates that the area is divided into 17 classes of coverage, which, the areas of secondary forests cover 48% of the total while the areas of crop and pasture cover at 34%. Inside the landscape matrix the closed forest use is the most fragmented area cause the shorten distance that a wildlife species should go to find other closed forest is 4.184 m, cover classes less fragmented were agricultural areas and pasture. There is a relationship between variables shape, fractal dimension and proximity related to the uses crops, grass and broadleaf forest closed. The landscape is too fragmented to allow the existence of corridors where wildlife flows.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/calera.v12i19.1185

La Calera Revista Científica Vol. 12. Nº 19, p. 107-115 / diciembre 2012