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.

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.

Background: contamination of aquatic ecosystems by oil spills associated with petroleum exploitation represents a serious problem of environmental contamination that can affect human health. We developed a spatial model of contamination risk in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and evaluated the model using independent datasets on environmental contamination and clinical indicators of human health risk factors. Methods: the spatial risk of contamination for the Napo River basin was based on the calculation of a friction surface and the accessibility of possible oil contamination. Human health was evaluated using peripheral blood samples from 256 individuals. We used monitoring data on contamination to validate the spatial model of contamination risk and analyzed whether the estimated risk explained the incidence of human health risk factors. Results: our risk model showed a significant association with actual contamination detected in the study area. According to our risk model, around 30% of the territory has some level of contamination. Risk of contamination was associated with an increasing mean incidence in risk factors for human health in resident populations, but elevated contamination risk was not a significant predictor of the incidence of selected health indicators; only the incidence of inflammation was significantly increased. Conclusions: a large proportion of the populations in the Napo River basin has high vulnerability to contamination from petroleum exploitation, and this contamination risk may be traced in some indicators of health risk. Closer examination of health risk factors is warranted, and our spatial model of contamination risk can inform the design and analysis of such studies, as well as risk mitigation and management. Our approach to building the model of contamination risk could be applied in other catchments where petroleum exploitation is contemplated.

Presentamos datos actualizados sobre la distribución de 20 especies de aves del Ecuador, 16 de estas registradas por primera ocasión dentro de la hoya de Loja, valle inter-Andino del sur del país: Podilymbus podiceps, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Butorides striata, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea alba, Chondrohierax uncinatus, Rupornis magnirostris, Gallinula galeata, Megascops roboratus, Megaceryle torquata, Aulacorhynchus prasinus, Forpus coelestis, Psittacara erythrogenys, Grallaria guatimalensis, Pitangus sulphuratus, Pachyramphus homochrous, Turdus reevei, Sporophila corvina, Rhynchospiza stolzmanni, y Cardellina canadensis. Únicamente P. brasilianus, B. striata, B. ibis y G. galeata han sido registradas previamente en el área de estudio, sin embargo, para estas especies se presentan nuevas localidades de registro, todas asociadas a pequeñas lagunas existentes alrededor de la ciudad de Loja. Esta información permite incrementar el conocimiento sobre la distribución geográfica y altitudinal de estas aves en el sur de Ecuador.

The perceptions and values that local communities have towards protected areas are of great value for the improvement of these territories’ management. Such perceptions and values are often absent in the conservation planning process, particularly in those privately protected areas that are established in areas where the land tenure system is based not only on ownership but also on customary uses. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and members of communities surrounding a privately protected area in southern Ecuador, we identify that the level of collaboration with the managers, the distance to the protected area, the percentage of untitled land, and the dependence on the resources (customary uses) are among the variables affecting these perceptions and values. Positive perceptions towards protected areas and naturalistic values are developed among those who collaborate with the protected area managers, whereas negative perceptions, and a mix of naturalistic and biospheric values are developed among those who have a sense of a lack of attention to social needs although supporting nature conservation at the same time. The evidence presented shows the importance of matching local peoples’ expectations with conservation goals during the establishment of a protected area.

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.