Spatial analysis of changes in vegetation cover and structural connectivity of the cloud forest landscape in Western Mexico

The constant pressure of anthropogenic activities has generated that the cloud forest fragments (BN) have an island pattern surrounded by a matrix of socioeconomic activities. The conservation of this ecosystem is key due to its high biological diversity that it represents in relation to its territorial extension in Mexico and globally. The objective of this work is to analyze the changes in the vegetation cover and the structural connectivity of the BN in the 1995-2018 period in the Transversal Volcanic System of the state of Michoacan from the visual interpretation of Orthophotos and Spot satellite images. Landscape metrics were applied to later carry out their comparative analysis. The results obtained show that the BN coverage lost an area of 9,038 ha in 23 years, with a global deforestation rate between 1995-2018 of-1.4%. Regarding the structural connectivity, the BN was observed an increase in the number of patches, increasing from 628 in 1995 to 762 in 2018, as well as the density of patches going from 2.1 to 3.6 ha for the same period. This reflects that the BN has fragmented considerably, in addition to rapidly losing its original surface. It is essential to generate data and information that contribute to the construction of strategies that increase the connectivity of the landscape in the BN fragments, guaranteeing the survival of wild species, through actions aimed at conserving biodiversity in the long term and reducing the fragmentation and isolation of ecosystems.