Abstract

PEREZ-CRUZ, Consuelo A.  and  VILLARROEL, Daniel. Spatial distribution model of the almendra chiquitana (Dipteryx alata Vogel, Fabaceae) in Bolivia. Ecología en Bolivia [online]. 2020, vol.55, n.3, pp.160-172. ISSN 1605-2528.

The 'almendra chiquitana' (Dipteryx alata Vogel), it's a non-timber forest resource that is currently used by indigenous and native communities in some areas of the Chiquitania region, whose demand in the national and international market has increased annually. In the present study we generated a spatial distribution model of D. alata for the Bolivian lowlands region generated by the consensus of the models obtained by applying three methods (Maxent, Random Forest and Support Vector Machine), 96 records of the species and four environmental factors. The prediction efficiency of the generated models was evaluated using the cross-validation method and the AUC values. As a result, all the models generated presented AUC values around 0.92, and there were no significant differences between the methods used, therefore, all of them achieved a high prediction performance. According to the binary consensus model (presence / absence), the potential distribution of D. alata in Bolivia extends over 71.200 km² of surface, having been reduced by 23.1% due to deforestation until 2018, the department of Santa Cruz the most affected. Therefore, this potential distribution model constitutes an important input for the management and conservation of the species, as well as for the identification of new areas of management and sustainable use.

Keywords : Chiquitania; Conservation; Non-timber resources; Species distribution models.