The use of the state-of-art information and communication technology has been found to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the tourism industry and many countries have chosen to implement smart tourism tools as a strategy to adapt to the continuously changing profile of tourists. While there are many tools which could be implemented for such endeavors, the evaluation of the tourist preferences in relation to their use and importance needs to be done so as to ensure at least the sustainability of investments and of the local development strategies. The Chimborazo Fauna Reserve (canton of Riobamba, Ecuador) was selected for the application of a questionnaire survey to evaluate the importance of 38 smart tourism tools based on the experience of Ecuadorian and international tourists with them. The survey considered more than 700 respondents and 500 valid questionnaires were retained for analysis which was done mainly by developing distributions of the relative frequencies of ratings given on a 5-point Likert scale and by a correspondence analysis at the level of two subsamples: national and international tourists. There were obvious differences between these two groups in terms of importance placed on the smart tourism tools. The first difference was that the Ecuadorian tourists found less utility in the smart tools as compared to the international tourists. The second difference was that the best rated tools in terms of importance were different among the two groups, with the international tourists placing, for instance, more importance on safety-related tools. Correspondence analysis has shown the similarities of profiles and data association, being a useful tool of associating the ratings to the evaluated tools. The knowledge gained by the survey may be helpful in supporting the development of local tourist strategies, providing at the same time valuable data to support preference comparisons with other tourist destinations and countries.

Climate change has accelerated the retreat of Andean glaciers, with significant recent losses in the tropical Andes. This study evaluates the extinction of the Carihuairazo volcano glacier (Ecuador), quantifying its area from 1312.5 m² in September 2023 to 101.2 m² in January 2024, its thickness (from 2.5 m to 0.71 m), and its volume (from 2638.85 m³ to 457.18 m³), before its complete deglaciation in February 2024; this rapid melting and its small size classify it as a glacierette. Multivariate analyses (PCA and biclustering) were performed to correlate climatic variables (temperature, solar radiation, precipitation, relative humidity, vapor pressure, and wind) with glacier surface and thickness. The PCA explained 70.26% of the total variance, with Axis 1 (28.01%) associated with extreme thermal conditions (temperatures up to 8.18 °C and radiation up to 16.14 kJ m⁻² day⁻¹), which probably drove its disappearance. Likewise, Axis 2 (21.56%) was related to favorable hydric conditions (precipitation between 39 and 94 mm) during the initial phase of glacier monitoring. Biclustering identified three groups of variables: Group 1 (temperature, solar radiation, and vapor pressure) contributed most to deglaciation; Group 2 (precipitation, humidity) apparently benefited initial stability; and Group 3 (wind) played a secondary role. These results, validated through in situ measurements, provide scientific evidence of the disappearance of the Carihuairazo volcano glacier by February 2024. They also corroborate earlier projections that anticipated its extinction by the middle of this decade. The early disappearance of this glacier highlights the vulnerability of small tropical Andean glaciers and underscores the urgent need for water security strategies focused on management, adaptation, and resilience.

La Reserva de Producción de Fauna de Chimborazo (RPFCH) es una de las áreas protegidas más importantes del Ecuador cuyo objetivo fundamental es la preservación de la fauna y la flora altoandina, este trabajo se efectuó con el propósito de monitorear el Herbazal del páramo que es una de las ocho formación vegetales que posee la reserva para evaluar los cambios que sufre este ecosistema altimontano debido al cambio climático, se utilizó 128 ortofotos de toda el área de estudio y con la ayuda del software Arc Gis 10.1 se geo proceso todo lo referente a la cartografía, para el análisis estadístico se utilizó las fórmulas del Manual de Ordenación de Montes de Andalucía donde se definió el número de unidades muestrales, se trabajó con un 5 % de error y 95 % de certeza se utilizó parcelas óptimas donde el tamaño de la muestra aproximado para estimar p con un límite de B para el error de estimación, para inventariar la flora se utilizó la metodología GLORIA mediante el levantamiento de cuatro cuadrantes de 1 m² x 1 m² en 10 parcelas donde se estableció la riqueza, abundancia, dominancia e IVIE cuyos resultados se tabularon el software PAST 4.0, el esfuerzo de muestreo se validó con la ayuda del software Eco Sim se precisó que las familias Poaceae, Asteraceae y Apiaceae son las más dominantes, alfa diversidad indicó un valor de 0,95 para el índice de Simpson y para Shannon Wiener de 3,31 valores altos para diversidad biológica, un valor de 0,67 % en la similaridad florística (beta) debido a la gran presencia de Calamagrostis intermedia, el Análisis de correspondencia determinó dos nichos ecológicos con 23 especies sumando un 51,05 % del total de individuos muestreados indicando que estos son los más susceptibles a desaparecer por el calentamiento global.

La microcuenca del Río Chimborazo está ubicada en la Parroquia San Juan, provincia de Chimborazo, en la zona central de los Andes ecuatorianos. El 90 % de los habitantes son indígenas y hablan el Kichwa. Su extensión es de 12 460 hectáreas, de las cuales 27 % son pastizales. En promedio, cada vaca produce 6 litros de leche al día, lo cual se debe entre otros motivos a la mala calidad de los pastos. Se desconoce el motivo de esto último, así que se llevó a cabo un estudio que permite idear una metodología sencilla y participativa que determine el nivel tecnológico del cultivo y establezca científicamente la problemática en la implementación y manejo del pasto. Asimismo, con ello se busca definir si la tecnología agronómica hasta hoy desarrollada y aplicada en dicha área andina es sostenible. La presente investigación se erige como base orientadora para futuros trabajos científicos agronómicos, de capacitación y asistencia técnica a desarrollar, con un enfoque de sostenibilidad para las diferentes prácticas y fases del cultivo. Después del análisis correspondiente se reportan las deficiencias en las fases agronómicas del mismo.

Climate change and glacial retreat in the tropical Andes—as evidenced by environmental changes in the Carihuairazo volcano area and human-induced alterations to the páramo—reveal complex environmental dynamics that require an integrated understanding. This study evaluates edaphic variation along a periglacial–agricultural spatial gradient, relating soil properties to sustainable management strategies. Using a methodological approach that includes multi-criteria spatial delineation, altitude-stratified sampling, and multivariate modeling via HJ-Biplot, the physical, chemical, and biological properties were analyzed, with a focus on basal microbial respiration. The data show that periglacial soils exhibit geochemical–mineral control and high basal respiration, potentially influenced by moisture peaks, despite their low organic matter content. In contrast, lowland andisols exhibit biological–structural control conditioned by organic matter accumulation, reflecting distinct conditions associated with agricultural management and land use. It is concluded that understanding these spatial edaphic patterns and their vulnerability to human intervention is essential for designing sustainable management and conservation frameworks that mitigate the impact of climate change on high-mountain ecosystems.

The Andes serve as natural laboratories where biomes shape faunal communities into mosaics of habitats prone to fragmentation, making protected areas such as the Chimborazo Reserve (RC) critical refuges in the face of climate change. Based on this premise, patterns of biotic specialization and inter-biome faunal connectivity were evaluated through the ordering and co-scaling of family-level taxa in factorial space. A geospatial design was employed, stratifying the area into 400 ha cells, which were distributed across the high-Andean tundra (T), paramo grassland (G), and Andean forest (F) biomes and selected via simple proportional random sampling. A validated database of 2511 occurrences was compiled for the classes reptilia, aves, mammalia, amphibia, and insecta, comprising a total of 48 families, integrating records from global platforms and field surveys. The resulting matrix of 102 sampling cells (across three biomes) with 48 taxonomic families was analyzed using principal component analysis (HJ-biplot), k-means clustering, and bidirectional biclustering. It was found that Cluster 3 reflected a marked ecotone effect and faunal connectivity between F and G, dominated by generalist families with high evolutionary success such as Thraupidae, Tyrannidae, and waterbirds. In contrast, Clusters 1 and 2 revealed structural discontinuities and high biogeographic specialization in response to abiotic stress in the tundra, isolating taxa adapted to extreme conditions (Tropiduridae, Cricetidae, and Thinocoridae). Biclustering confirmed that the heterogeneity of the terrain mitigates climatic severity at the forest edge, acting as a microclimatic refuge for specialized nectar-eaters (Trochilidae) associated with Chuquiraga jussieui. The zoological structure of the RC reflects a distinct and predictable faunal partition that is strongly influenced by the interaction between the altitudinal gradient and microtopography. The coexistence of zones of diffuse transitions that promote biotic connectivity alongside nuclei of maximum specialization and ecological isolation was confirmed, which is essential for planning conservation measures.