Abstract

AMAYA VILLABONA, DIEGO  and  ARMENTERAS PASCUAL, DOLORS. Fire Incidence on Vegetation in Cundinamarca and Bogota D.C. (Colombia) During the 2001-2010 Period. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2012, vol.17, n.1, pp.143-158. ISSN 0120-548X.

This work aims to use remote sensing as a method for determining fire dynamics in the department of Cundinamarca and the city of Bogotá D.C. in Colombia, by analyzing the temporal and spatial distribution of fires and the different types of vegetation affected in the 2011-2010 period. Based on MODIS fire hotspots, we found that the pattern fires in the study area are within the national standard, which includes increased number of events during the dry seasons (January-March and July September). The fire incidence is caused by low rainfall that complements the root causes of ignition, which are mainly started by human intervention. The most affected populations are Caparrapí with 159 fires; Bogotá with 152 fires and Guaduas with 101 fires. Bogotá recorded most of their fires within protected areas in the south, in the area of Sumapaz. Sumapaz National Park (84), followed by the District Integrated Management Cuchilla de San Antonio (21) and Protective Forest Reserve Páramo Grande (9). Among the vegetation affected we can find grasses, shrubs, bushes and mosaics, emphasizing high values of impact on vegetation of páramo and subpáramo. The central and northwestern parts, south and southeast parts of the department, are those with more outbreaks, and most of them are between 0 to 1,000 masl and 3,000 to 4,000 masl. Finally active fires in the study area follow a pattern associated to the climate and in particular to the dry season but also show an altitudinal pattern. National and regional protected areas are effective against fires.

Keywords : Spatial pattern; temporal pattern; active fire hotspots; affected vegetation.

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