A rather unknown natural heritage: the cloud forest (subtropical montain forest). [Contribution to the inventories of the natural forests in Ecuadorian Andes]
1994
Dixmude, A.J. de (ADRAI, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium))
"Tierra Viva" an Ecuadorian ecologist association have developed the "Bosques Nativos" Project since 1989, the purpose of which is: 1. to identify and to inventory Andean native forests in Southern Ecuador; 2. to experiment methods for a sustainable and balanced forest management, e.g. agroforestry, silvo-pastoral systems; 3. to develop a consulting and educational activity about nature conservancy. What characterizes the Andean environment is that the ecological factors mainly depend on an obvious altitudinal gradient.The ubication of this region within the intertropical zone allows a development of very diverse forms of life, up to very high altitudes (above 5000 m). The cloud-forest stretches between 1000 and 3000 m. Its development and its physionomy are produced by a very strong and constant humidity, which is due to the accumulation of clouds against the colossal barrier of the Andes. These clouds come from the huge Amazon basin in the East, or from the Pacific Ocean in the West. From 1989 to 1991, the "Bosques Nativos" Project carried out inventories in three areas in Southern Ecuador. The inventories were made on 1 ha sample parcels, dispersed throughout the studied areas, so that each valley or subvalley would be represented, as well as each altitudinal floor. These inventories mainly have forestal orientation: they only involve the adult trees, the diameter of which is superior to ten centimeter at 1.50 meter from the ground. Besides species identifying, several qualitative and quantitative data are considered, to be able to get interpretation about floristic diversity and structural complexity. All this information should be the base of developing criteria for protection and type of forest management which are needed in these wide areas.
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