Keywords
chacahua, species distribution modelling, buffer zone, national park
Start Date
1-7-2012 12:00 AM
Abstract
Preservation of natural protected areas in Mexico requires human activities regulation in the Buffer Zones (Zona de Influencia). These zones have been defined conceptually by law and delineated spatially using physiographical and anthropogenic criteria. The presented study proposes a demarcation based on species distribution modeling as an ecological criterion to prioritize environmental requirements of protected species in “Laguna de Chacahua” National Park. To achieve this, a model in ArcGIS ModelBuilder was developed and applied for the delimitation of a buffer zone for the National Park. The proposed model involve a) obtaining data of 90 species (mammals, reptiles and amphibians) of which 30 are listed as protected; b) data cleaning and pre-processing of raster layers; c) processing with the species distribution model MaxEnt, d) averaging and generalization of threshold line, and e) post-edition and visualization. The results showed that the delimited area represents 10 times the size of the National Park and imply that species have a wider distribution than the current protected area. As a consequence, the current protected area is probably not large enough to safeguard the studied species. On the base of the newly delimited Buffer Zone, political agreements between park managers and municipal authorities are required to promote sustainable park management that foster protection of registered species.
Semi-automatic delimitation of Buffer Zones for protected areas: A contribution from Species Distribution Modelling
Preservation of natural protected areas in Mexico requires human activities regulation in the Buffer Zones (Zona de Influencia). These zones have been defined conceptually by law and delineated spatially using physiographical and anthropogenic criteria. The presented study proposes a demarcation based on species distribution modeling as an ecological criterion to prioritize environmental requirements of protected species in “Laguna de Chacahua” National Park. To achieve this, a model in ArcGIS ModelBuilder was developed and applied for the delimitation of a buffer zone for the National Park. The proposed model involve a) obtaining data of 90 species (mammals, reptiles and amphibians) of which 30 are listed as protected; b) data cleaning and pre-processing of raster layers; c) processing with the species distribution model MaxEnt, d) averaging and generalization of threshold line, and e) post-edition and visualization. The results showed that the delimited area represents 10 times the size of the National Park and imply that species have a wider distribution than the current protected area. As a consequence, the current protected area is probably not large enough to safeguard the studied species. On the base of the newly delimited Buffer Zone, political agreements between park managers and municipal authorities are required to promote sustainable park management that foster protection of registered species.
