Key connectivity areas in the Llanganates-Sangay Ecological Corridor in Ecuador: A participative multicriteria analysis based on a landscape species

Habitat loss and fragmentation are critical threats to biodiversity decline as they decrease the species occurrence and dispersal probability between natural habitats. Thus, promoting habitat connectivity supports species dispersal and accessibility to vital resources within the landscape, and contributes to long term population persistence. However, decision-making in human dominated landscapes challenges the sustainability of conservation-based land management initiatives. The Llanganates – Sangay Ecological Corridor is located on the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes, harbouring high levels of endemism and biodiversity in a human-dominated landscape between two National Parks. We applied circuit analysis to model the habitat connectivity for the Mountain Tapir. We defined the limits of the corridor based on a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and a spatial suitability approach combined with a sub-basin prioritization method. We found that forest and native grasslands contribute the most to the Mountain Tapir's dispersal movements, while roads constrain them the most. Furthermore, natural vegetation remnants between pastures and crops support habitat connectivity as stepping-stones. We identified threats to biodiversity and distance to conservation areas as the most crucial features of spatial suitability. Our study combined scientific information to identify key areas for providing habitat connectivity of a landscape species and the spatial suitability necessary for sustaining wildlife conservation, while supporting the participation of local stakeholders, conservationists, academia, and NGOs.