Prioritization of important plant areas for conservation of frailejones (Espeletiinae, Asteraceae) in the Northern Andes.

Morales-Rozo, Clara; Acuña-Rodríguez, Ian S.; Benavides, Juan C.; Rincón-Parra, Víctor J.; Diazgranados, Mauricio

Prioritization of important plant areas for conservation of frailejones (Espeletiinae, Asteraceae) in the Northern Andes.

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Morales-Rozo, Clara

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Acuña-Rodríguez, Ian S.

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Benavides, Juan C.

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Rincón-Parra, Víctor J.

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Diazgranados, Mauricio

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Date published

October 22, 2024

Abstract

The tropical Andes region harbors areas that are highly significant for biodiversity at both global and local scales. However, despite the severe conservation threats that this region has to confront, conservation initiatives are limited, by funding and because of the need for more information to decide which areas are priorities for conservation. Identifying Important Plant Areas (IPAs) offers a valuable methodology for establishing conservation priorities, a particularly complex task in a mega-biodiverse region such as the northern Andean tropics. Due to its iconic recognition and conservation value, this study focused on the Espeletiinae subtribe (Asteraceae) as a model group; hence, the distribution data for 138 species was compiled from 5560 georeferenced records. Using the IPA methodology, we divided the study area, this is, the distribution area of the subtribe in the Andean tropics, into 220 Units of Analysis (UA) represented by 10 × 10 km plots. Refined species’ distribution areas, incorporating richness, threatened species, and ecosystem-based richness distributions, were analyzed using newly generated maps to evaluate the conservation value of each UA. Our analysis identified 176 UAs with some level of relevance using sub-criterion cA1 (with 59 species) and 51 UAs using sub-criterion cB (with 76 species). Integrating both criteria, we classified 11 UAs as high-priority, 62 as medium-priority, and 147 as low-priority, highlighting the IPAs that require focused conservation efforts. Two identified high-priority IPAs are located in Venezuela and nine in Colombia, predominantly associated with the Eastern Cordillera. These areas concentrate between 7 and 12 species. They are mainly linked to the páramo complexes of Colombia and the Sierra Nevada in Venezuela, primarily within Cool Temperate Moist Grassland ecosystems on mountains. Our results provide a spatial planning procedure and analytical tool for decision-makers to guide conservation management and actions across northern Andes.