Valoración de tierras en Vilcabamba (Ecuador): diseño de un modelo de valoración catastral rural

En este trabajo se genera un modelo de valoración de tierras para una parroquia de Ecuador, aplicando una metodología de segmentación de mercado; se analiza la dinámica del mercado de tierras en la zona, así como el proceso de valoración de tierras

Sistema de información catastral adaptado a la realidad del gobierno local en Ecuador. El caso de la parroquia Vilcabamba (Loja)

El catastro constituye un elemento básico para administrar el territorio. Actualmente, las municipalidades de Ecuador empiezan a incursionar en este tema, pero a menudo la falta de experiencia produce el estancamiento de procesos y agotamiento de recursos. Para aportar en el fortalecimiento de estas iniciativas, el presente proyecto de cooperación interuniversitaria tuvo una doble finalidad: capacitar a técnicos locales en la creación e implementación de Sistemas de Información Geográfica Catastral (SIGC) y aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos mediante la puesta en marcha de un proyecto piloto a nivel local. Una vez analizada la realidad catastral y realizada la capacitación, se realizó e implantó el SIGC para la parroquia Vilcabamba (Ecuador). Se pudo concluir que es posible establecer SIGC eficientes en municipios con pocos recursos, si bien la sostenibilidad en el tiempo no queda garantizada.Peer Reviewe

PRIMER REGISTRO DE TINAMÚ SERRANO Nothocercus bonapartei (TINAMIFORMES: TINAMIDAE) EN LA CORDILLERA DEL CÓNDOR, SURESTE DE ECUADOR

El Tinamú Serrano Nothocercus bonapartei es un ave rara y poco conocida que habita bosques densos y poco disturbados del este de los Andes de Ecuador. Es de comportamiento sigiloso y posee pocos registros en el país. En este documento, presentamos los primeros registros de la presencia de esta especie en la Cordillera del Cóndor, cordillera oriental aislada de los Andes, en la cual no existía evidencia previa de su distribución

Divergencias y convergencias para asegurar la actividad agrícola en Ecuador: análisis de la parroquia Chuquiribamba (Loja) / Divergences and convergences to ensure agriculture in Ecuador: analysis of the Chuquiribamba Parrish (Loja)

La regulación de uso del suelo es un continuo debate en el proceso de planificación territorial, sobre todo en Ecuador, donde la agricultura a pequeña escala es uno de los pilares de la economía familiar para un amplio porcentaje de habitantes del sector rural. Por esta razón, identificar las variables requeridas para mantener la actividad agrícola es una necesidad y obligación. El objetivo principal de este artículo es identificar las variables espaciales que inciden sobre la probabilidad de mantener la actividad agrícola, de acuerdo con las expectativas de la gente y las características del territorio. Para ello, se comparan datos de percepción de los pobladores sobre variables tales como superficie predial, distancia a carretera, a canales de riego y a mercados, con datos espaciales de estas mismas variables. El área de estudio es la Parroquia Chuquiribamba, perteneciente al cantón Loja, al sur del Ecuador, por ser una de las principales fuentes agrícolas del sector. Los resultados sugieren convergencias entre las percepciones de la gente y las variables espaciales necesarias para asegurar la actividad agrícola, así como divergencias respecto a la normativa que regula el tamaño mínimo predial.  Abstract Land-use regulation is an ongoing debate in the process of land-use planning. This is particularly true for a country such as Ecuador, where small-scale agriculture is one of the pillars of the family economy for a large percentage of inhabitants of the rural sector.  In this context, identifying the necessary variables for ensuring agricultural activities is a need and an obligation. The main objective of this article is to identify the spatial variables that affect the probability of maintaining agricultural activity, according to the expectations of the people and the characteristics of the territory. We compare data regarding the perceptions of the people of variables such as parcel size, road, irrigation and market proximity, with spatial data of the same variables. The area of study is the Chuquiribamba Parish, located in Canton Loja, in southern Ecuador. We selected it due to its agricultural importance in the Canton. The results suggest convergences between the perceptions of the people and the spatial variables necessary to safeguard agriculture, as well as divergences with the normative regulating the minimum parcel-size

Assessment of Three Machine Learning Techniques with Open-Access Geographic Data for Forest Fire Susceptibility Monitoring—Evidence from Southern Ecuador

Forest fires have become a habitual threat in all types of ecosystems, which is the reason why it is necessary to improve management of the territories and optimization of prevention and means of extinction. This study compares three machine learning techniques: logistic regression, logistic decision tree, and multivariate adaptive regression spline to identify areas susceptible to forest fires in the Loja canton. In the training of the machine learning models, a multitemporal database with 1436 points was used, fed with the information from seven variables related to fuel moisture, proximity to anthropic activities, and ground elevation. After analyzing the performance of the three models, better results were observed with the LMT, thus offering application ease for local decision-makers. The results show that the technique used allowed generating a model with a good predictive capacity and that the maps resulting from the model can be updated in short periods of time. However, it is necessary to highlight the lack meteorological data availability at the local level and to encourage future researchers to implement improvements in this regard

Divergencias y convergencias para asegurar la actividad agrícola en Ecuador: análisis de la parroquia Chuquiribamba (Loja)

Abstract Land-use regulation is an ongoing debate in the process of land-use planning. This is particularly true for a country such as Ecuador, where small-scale agriculture is one of the pillars of the family economy for a large percentage of inhabitants of the rural sector.  In this context, identifying the necessary variables for ensuring agricultural activities is a need and an obligation. The main objective of this article is to identify the spatial variables that affect the probability of maintaining agricultural activity, according to the expectations of the people and the characteristics of the territory. We compare data regarding the perceptions of the people of variables such as parcel size, road, irrigation and market proximity, with spatial data of the same variables. The area of study is the Chuquiribamba Parish, located in Canton Loja, in southern Ecuador. We selected it due to its agricultural importance in the Canton. The results suggest convergences between the perceptions of the people and the spatial variables necessary to safeguard agriculture, as well as divergences with the normative regulating the minimum parcel-size. A regularização do uso da terra é um constante debate no processo de planejamento territorial, especialmente no Equador onde a agricultura familiar é considerada um dos pilares da economia doméstica para uma grande porcentagem de pessoas na zona rural. Neste contexto, identificar as variáveis necessárias para assegurar a manutenção das atividades agrícolas surge como uma obrigação e necessidade. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi identificar as variáveis espaciais que influenciam a probabilidade de manutenção da atividade agrícola em concordância com a expectativa das pessoas e as características da paisagem. Para tanto, foi comparado os dados sobre a percepção das pessoas sobre variáveis como tamanho da propriedade rural e distância de estradas, irrigação e mercados, com os dados espaciais coletados sobre estas mesmas variáveis. Como área de estudo foi selecionada a comunidade de Chuquiribamba, localizada em Loja, ao sul do Equador, por ser uma das principais fontes agrícolas da região. Os resultados sugerem convergências entre a percepções das pessoas e as variáveis espaciais necessárias para manutenção da agricultura, assim como divergências em relação as normativas que regularizam o tamanho mínimo da propriedade.  La regulación de uso del suelo es un continuo debate en el proceso de planificación territorial, sobre todo en Ecuador, donde la agricultura a pequeña escala es uno de los pilares de la economía familiar para un amplio porcentaje de habitantes del sector rural. Por esta razón, identificar las variables requeridas para mantener la actividad agrícola es una necesidad y obligación. El objetivo principal de este artículo es identificar las variables espaciales que inciden sobre la probabilidad de mantener la actividad agrícola, de acuerdo con las expectativas de la gente y las características del territorio. Para ello, se comparan datos de percepción de los pobladores sobre variables tales como superficie predial, distancia a carretera, a canales de riego y a mercados, con datos espaciales de estas mismas variables. El área de estudio es la Parroquia Chuquiribamba, perteneciente al cantón Loja, al sur del Ecuador, por ser una de las principales fuentes agrícolas del sector. Los resultados sugieren convergencias entre las percepciones de la gente y las variables espaciales necesarias para asegurar la actividad agrícola, así como divergencias respecto a la normativa que regula el tamaño mínimo predial.  .

First record of Turdus ignobilis Sclater, 1857 (Aves: Turdidae) in the Andes of Ecuador

We present the first record of the Black-billed Thrush (Turdus ignobilis) in Loja city, Ecuadorian Andes. The bird was recorded in August and September 2015 in Jipiro Park, north of the city, at an elevation of 2,074 m. This increases this species’ altitudinal range in Ecuador by at least 540 m. The presence of the Black-billed Thrush in Loja shows that the valley of the Zamora River allows some species to move from the eastern lowlands to this region of the country

Food Markets and Free Fairs as Contributors for Designing Climate Resilient Cities: A Study Case in Southern Ecuador

Climate change will have far-reaching impacts on food systems, which require strengthening social, economic, and political structures that allow farmers to offer their produce and consumers to have access to the food they eat. This research focuses on food access and stability. Specifically, through the analysis of a system of urban markets and free fairs, the (a) public satisfaction with these spaces, (b) the distribution and access to the same spaces, and (c) potential scenarios envisaging a food system that contributes to the designing of a climate resilient city are evaluated. The results indicate a high public satisfaction with markets and free fairs, while providing evidence on the importance of designing cities that include a network of markets and free fairs in urban planning for climate adaptation and resilience, shifting the paradigm from centralised urban systems towards an urbanism of services’ proximity within walking distances

Effects of the Severity of Wildfires on Some Physical-Chemical Soil Properties in a Humid Montane Scrublands Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador

Humid montane scrublands (HMs) represent one of the least studied ecosystems in Ecuador, which in the last decade have been seriously threatened by the increase in wildfires. Our main objective was to evaluate the effects of wildfire severity on physicochemical soil properties in the HMs of southern Ecuador. For this purpose, fire severity was measured using the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and the difference between pre-fire and post-fire (NBR Pre-fire-NBR Post-fire) over three contrasted periods (years 2019, 2017, and 2015) was determined. Likewise, 72 soil samples from burned HMs and 72 soil samples from unburned HMs were collected at a depth of 0 to 10 cm, and some physical (bulk density and texture) and biochemical (pH, soil organic matter, and total nutrients) soil properties were analyzed and statistically processed by one-way ANOVA and principal component analysis (PCA). Results indicate that burned HMs showed mixed-severity burning patterns and that in the most recent wildfires that are of high severity, SOM, N, P, Cu, and Zn contents decreased drastically (PCA: component 1); in addition, there was an increase in soil compaction (PCA: component 2). However, in older wildfires, total SOM, N, P, K, and soil pH content increases with time compared even to HMs that never burned (p-value < 0.05). These results can help decision makers in the design of policies, regulations, and proposals for the environmental restoration of HMs in southern Ecuador affected by wildfires

Effects of the Severity of Wildfires on Some Physical-Chemical Soil Properties in a Humid Montane Scrublands Ecosystem in Southern Ecuador

Humid montane scrublands (HMs) represent one of the least studied ecosystems in Ecuador, which in the last decade have been seriously threatened by the increase in wildfires. Our main objective was to evaluate the effects of wildfire severity on physicochemical soil properties in the HMs of southern Ecuador. For this purpose, fire severity was measured using the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) and the difference between pre-fire and post-fire (NBR Pre-fire-NBR Post-fire) over three contrasted periods (years 2019, 2017, and 2015) was determined. Likewise, 72 soil samples from burned HMs and 72 soil samples from unburned HMs were collected at a depth of 0 to 10 cm, and some physical (bulk density and texture) and biochemical (pH, soil organic matter, and total nutrients) soil properties were analyzed and statistically processed by one-way ANOVA and principal component analysis (PCA). Results indicate that burned HMs showed mixed-severity burning patterns and that in the most recent wildfires that are of high severity, SOM, N, P, Cu, and Zn contents decreased drastically (PCA: component 1); in addition, there was an increase in soil compaction (PCA: component 2). However, in older wildfires, total SOM, N, P, K, and soil pH content increases with time compared even to HMs that never burned (p-value &lt; 0.05). These results can help decision makers in the design of policies, regulations, and proposals for the environmental restoration of HMs in southern Ecuador affected by wildfires