Diversity and ecosystem services in tree cover of the overlap zone of the National Natural Park of Macuira, La Guajira - Colombia

Abstract

The study evaluates the ecosystem services associated with the woodland and shrubland located in the Guajira region of Colombia, characterized as Tropical Dry Forest in the serrania Macuira where communities of the Wayuu native tribe are settled. The open shrubland (OS) and dense shrubland (DS) plant covers were evaluated; three sampling points were selected per cover, in which circular plots with an area of 1,000 m² were drawn, in each plot, an inventory of the tree component was carried out and the main uses by the community were identified. 20 species and 12 botanical families were found. The species with the greatest dominance in the AA was Prosopis juliflora with an importance value index (IVI) of 157.30 % and in the AD Handroanthus billbergii (IVI 116.81 %); the biodiversity indices did not show statistical differences between the vegetation covers. The carbon storage showed significant statistical differences, the DS accumulated 30.75 t C ha^-1 and the OS 12.44 t C ha^-1. En relation to CO₂ emissions, two scenarios were proposed for the period 2021- 2030: the first, deforestation remains at an annual rate of 0.94 % and emissions from deforestation of 3.72 t CO₂-eq ha^-1 are generated in the OS and 9.20 t CO₂-eq ha^-1 for the DS. In the second scenario, tree covers are conserved and no emissions are generated from deforestation. 17 useful species were found in the community, of which 16 are used as forage and 13 have medicinal and ethnoveterinary value