Connectivity between the Andes and the Amazon, an analysis of the landscape configuration of the department of Caquetá, Colombia

This paper analyzed how the configuration of landscape elements in the department of Caquetá, southern Colombia, allows or restricts the spread of flows involved in the ecological connectivity between the Andes and the Amazon, since this department is located in the transitional zone of these two re...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rusinque Quintero, Linda Linney, Moyano Molano, Angie Lorena, Montoya Rojas, Grace Andrea
Format: Online
Language:spa
Published: Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.uptc.edu.co/index.php/perspectiva/article/view/12944
Description
Summary:This paper analyzed how the configuration of landscape elements in the department of Caquetá, southern Colombia, allows or restricts the spread of flows involved in the ecological connectivity between the Andes and the Amazon, since this department is located in the transitional zone of these two regions. From a landscape ecology approach, the elements that make up this landscape were grouped into five planetary systems: atmospheric, hydrospheric, geospheric, biospheric and anthropospheric. The conditions of the elements selected for each system were assessed by assigning them a cost from 1 to 10 and then representing them by means of a cost surface, which allows a systemic understanding of the dynamics of connectivity and makes it easier to know where and in what way the configuration of the landscape restricts or favors the movement of flows, relationships or ecological processes. This cost surface allowed us to understand that the configuration of the landscape of the department in 83% of its area allows connectivity with a high movement of flows between the Andes and the Colombian Amazon.