Abstract

GALINDO-CRUZ, Alejandra; ROSAS-ESPINOZA, Verónica Carolina; VASQUEZ-BOLANOS, Miguel  and  SAHAGUN-SANCHEZ, Francisco Javier. Prioritizing areas for bird conservation at western Transmexican Volcanic Belt. Madera bosques [online]. 2021, vol.27, n.2, e2722175.  Epub Apr 04, 2022. ISSN 2448-7597.  https://doi.org/10.21829/myb.2021.2722175.

Ensuring the maintenance of wildlife populations and ecosystems in Mexico demands identifying essential regions that have priority and representative of the most significant ecosystems and species. In the present study, priority areas were determined to carry out conservation actions for birds located at the western Transmexican Volcanic Belt. For this purpose, we modeled the distribution of priority bird species; then, we determined the connectivity of the vegetation cover where the species are potentially distributed. The results indicate three optimal areas as relevant conservation sites, with different ecological characteristics, determined by their connectivity level and the number of bird species represented. The sites with temperate forest cover and tropical forest in the north and south center of the study area stand out. The information generated will help complement a network of Natural Protected Areas that favors the conservation of bird diversity and their ecosystems in this study area.

Keywords : natural protected areas; connectivity; priority species; Maxent; representativeness.