The incursions to the sites will be in terrestrial form in vehicles of double transmission, boats for the verification of wetlands in the surroundings of Lake Guija and overflight by plane through the three natural areas of interest.
Objectives of the EER
General objective of the EER
- Prepare the methodology to be used in the development of the Rapid Ecological Assessment (EER), in San Diego-La Barra and Montecristo National Park; Consolidate the methodological framework to be used in the cabinet and field phases for the collection of information from plant communities and selected taxa for the measurement of the determined ecological variables to be used in the Design of the Monitoring and Evaluation System for Biological Indicators. To generate the necessary information on the methods to be used for the evaluation of the study variables.
Objectives of the EER of the San Diego-La Barra Natural Protected Area
Overall objective
- Validate the existing information from preliminary studies carried out in the Protected Natural Area and extend them to the Influence and Buffer Zones.
Specific objectives
- Complete, generate, group and systematize the existing information on flora and fauna; Design a database that allows, statistically and by means of thematic maps, to monitor the EER process; Strengthen the process of delimitation of the Protected Natural Area; Determine the indicator species susceptible to changes in coverage through comparative analyzes of relative abundance and richness of mammal and bird species in the core zone and buffer zone.
Objectives of the Monte Cristo National Park ROA
Overall objective
- Know the current state of natural resources with ecosystems and connectivity and their biodiversity to guarantee the variability of the current state of the area.
Specific goal
- Establish the appropriate use of specific areas that have a potential for education, interpretation, investigation and protection. For the management and development of the same; Complete, generate, group and systematize the existing information on flora and fauna; Design a database that allows in the form of data and through thematic maps, to monitor the EER process; To determine the indicator species of changes susceptible to changes in coverage through comparative analyzes of abundance of bird and mammal species in the core zone and buffer zone.
Proposed methodology for the execution of the Rapid Ecological Assessment (EER)
Methodological framework
The EER Methodology to be used is that developed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and it integrates multiple levels of information, from satellite images, overflights, as well as evaluations and field checks to produce thematic maps and reports on components physical and biological that allow decision-making and make recommendations on the use and conservation of natural resources in the two protected areas, with the main objective of validating information from previously carried out studies, agglutinating, completing and systematizing the existing biophysical information, within the Framework for the formulation of Management Plans.
Phases of the EER
Phase I "Initial Cabinet"
The first phase of the EER is divided into the following stages:
- Review and compilation of the digitized information existing in the Environmental Information System (SIA), (digitized maps and coverage) of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN); Analysis of thematic maps, satellite image and aerial photographs; Determination of the vegetation verification and characterization sites through stratification, together with the location of fauna monitoring sites, Processing of secondary information obtained through bibliography and field check
The analysis of the secondary information available, such as that used by MARN, ATRIDEST, CATIE, CEPRODE, UES, SALVANATURA and other related organizations and institutions, will be complemented by field verification, which will allow further verification and analysis of the information obtained. for the same in each area.
Phase II "Fieldwork"
This will be carried out in order to validate the information of both a physical and biological nature, found by reviewing the available secondary information.
The development of each of the components of the evaluation will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team of people, using the appropriate methodology for each of the topics studied.
The levels of ecosystems and taxa to inventory are:
- Ecosystems and vegetation; Fauna
We must take into account that the EER will have two purposes; 1. Validate, collect, complement, agglutinate and systematize the existing biophysical information to strengthen the process of formulating Management Plans and 2. Serve as the basis for the design of the monitoring and evaluation system for biological indicators.
The methodologies to be used are a variant of the framework proposed by TNC, adapting and complementing them with statistical systems that allow strengthening the results obtained in the field survey process.
Methodology I "Study of vegetation"
Currently, there is a wide range of options to carry out the different studies of vegetation either nationally or throughout the Central American region.
Almost these studies begin with an analysis related to spatial coverage which is identified from aerial photographs, orthophotos (rectified and georeferenced aerial photographs), radar images, Landsat TM satellite images (ideal for the interpretation of vegetation cover) and those of the IKONO type which are the most precise in terms of resolution (1 × 1 x pixel).
In this way, the different types of plant formations can be stratified, which on a smaller scale have a clear definition by differentiating each plant formation by the different types of texture and cone color in the case of pine forests, forest plantations, mangroves, ecotonal zones, others. With all the above; It is not yet possible to identify the borders between the Salvadoran coffee plantations and the natural forest, either pre-montane that includes the altitude ranges of 700-1000 meters above sea level or montane, which is above 1000 meters above sea level.
The use of the terminology to be applied is another factor to discuss and determine for its application, because there are a large number of classifications to name the different types of vegetation, these classifications are found at the national, regional and global levels.
In fact, many of these classifications are as general as those applied by FAO's FRA 2000, where it groups together in a single category worldwide several national categories (Used by each country); each of these undoubtedly names the types of ecosystems differently and with greater diversity of names to each plant formation, as is the case of the UNESCO Classification applied to the Map of Natural Vegetation of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of El Salvador 2000 project developed by the WB, CCAD, MARN, CBM and financed by the Dutch government in 1999. The current map of Ecosystems of Central America is the product formed by each map of national vegetation from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua,Costa Rica and Panama where the different categories have been standardized for the entire Central American region. At present it is intended to carry out the fusion of the Vegetation map of Mexico by standardizing and expanding the study area through theterrestrial and aquatic ecosystems present in the tropics.
to. Sampling System Design
Typification and Stratification
Typification and stratification are tools that seek to reduce the statistical bias at the time of capturing the different levels of information taken in the field, under the premise of homogenizing the different samples or "Plots" acquired through verification, the aim is to refine each type and increase the existing information.
In previous paragraphs, it was mentioned that the analysis of the vegetation will depend on the delimitation through the use of satellite images or by means of Orthophotos, after this polygonization phase carried out in ArcView 3.2, it will superimpose the coverage of the “Vegetation of the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of El Salvador ”in order to more precisely locate, confirm or redefine the categories and location of each polygon for each plant formation within the core area and in the buffer zone.
It can be said that this is the most important cabinet activity, using secondary information such as the Map of Natural Vegetation of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of El Salvador 2000, plus the interpretation of satellite images or ultimately the “Orthophotos” of the sector of interest digitized in the CNR; Although the dates of this material are March 1996, they will be compared with more recent inputs to determine the degree of fragmentation, taking into account the technical documents prepared by different entities in recent years for both San Diego and La Barra and for El Parque. Montecristo National.
The primary information will be obtained through the different verifications carried out in the field through Rural participation workshops and through specific tours and verifications to the different points determined in the satellite images, in order to validate the existing information and complement it with the compiled one.
The incursions to the sites will be in terrestrial form in vehicles of double transmission, boats for the verification of wetlands in the surroundings of Lake Guija and overflight by plane through the three natural areas of interest.
By agreement, the UNESCO classification will be used to name the different plant formations, for the reason that this classification is being used at the regional level, and for interpretation purposes, the forms of how they have been previously classified or named by each identified plant formation will be indicated. other Salvadoran and Central American authors, as in the case of RL Holdridge.
Because the UNESCO Classification allows to refine each category of vegetation more, it will be possible to take these to a more precise scale found both in the natural area of San Diego and La Barra and in the Montecristo National Park; In this way, there will be no possibility of incompatibility since the most accurate categories correspond to the largest.
Regarding the stratification of the vegetation, the different layers of vegetation will be verified in the field, what is their behavior with respect to the internal strata by category, where measurements of light, temperature, delimitation of strata and identification of the most common species will be taken. representative with respect to level I and level II grasses, shrubs and trees.
The types of plant formations identified through the Map of Natural Vegetation of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of El Salvador 2000, located in the San Diego and Montecristo Sector, in their core areas and buffer zones, the following formations:
- Closed vegetation, mainly evergreen, Tropical, Ombrófila sub Montana nubosa. (Nebulous Forest) Deciduous tropical closed vegetation in dry season (Deciduous closed forest in San Diego) Floating aquatic vegetation in the Metapan Lagoon sector (Floating islands in the Metapan Lagoon) Areas with perennial crops (pine-cypress) in El Montecristo National Park. Open vegetation predominantly evergreen tropical sub-mountain of Confieras. In the sectors of the Buffer Area of the Montecristo National Park Open predominantly evergreen vegetation Broadleaf sclerophyllous (Chaparral) Buffer area of Montecristo Open vegetation of fields and pastures (Morrales) Area of Influence in the surroundings of San Diego.
