Data from: Deforestation and forest fragmentation in South Ecuador since the 1970s - losing a hotspot of biodiversity

Deforestation and fragmentation are major components of global change; both are contributing to the rapid loss of tropical forest area with important implications for ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation. The forests of South Ecuador are a biological ‘hotspot’ due to their high diversity and endemism levels. We examined the deforestation and fragmentation patterns in this area of high conservation value using aerial photographs and Aster satellite scenes. The registered annual deforestation rates of 0.75% (1976–1989) and 2.86% (1989–2008) for two consecutive survey periods, the decreasing mean patch size and the increasing isolation of the forest fragments show that the area is under severe threat. Approximately 46% of South Ecuador’s original forest cover had been converted by 2008 into pastures and other anthropogenic land cover types. We found that deforestation is more intense at lower elevations (premontane evergreen forest and shrubland) and that the deforestation front currently moves in upslope direction. Improved awareness of the spatial extent, dynamics and patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation is urgently needed in biologically diverse areas like South Ecuador.森林砍伐与片段化是全球变化的核心组成部分，二者均导致热带森林面积快速缩减，对生态系统功能与生物多样性保护具有重要影响。厄瓜多尔南部森林因极高的物种多样性与特有性水平，属于生物热点（biological hotspot）。本研究借助航空影像与ASTER卫星影像，针对这一具有高保护价值的区域，探究其森林砍伐与片段化格局。两个连续调查时段的年森林砍伐率分别为0.75%（1976–1989年）与2.86%（1989–2008年），同时森林斑块平均面积持续缩减、片段化隔离度不断升高，均表明该区域正面临严重威胁。截至2008年，厄瓜多尔南部原有森林覆盖面积已有约46%被转化为牧场及其他人为土地覆盖类型。研究发现，低海拔区域（前山地常绿林与灌丛）的森林砍伐活动更为剧烈，且当前砍伐前沿正朝着上坡方向推进。针对厄瓜多尔南部这类生物多样性丰富的区域，亟需加深对森林砍伐与片段化的空间范围、动态过程及格局特征的认知。