Functional connectivity of the biological corridors of Costa Rica for wild mammals with some degree of vulnerability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v17i1.5706Keywords:
felines, primates, fragmentation, Kernel, probability, occupationAbstract
Introduction: Fragmentation refers to the loss of continuous natural vegetation, creating isolated patches that alter landscape structure and biodiversity. Combining structural connectivity indices with species occupancy data improves understanding of population dynamics. Functional connectivity reflects an organism’s ability to move and persist but is challenging to measure due to ecological complexity. Objective: To propose an alternative approach for assessing biological corridors and functional connectivity for wild mammals in Costa Rica. Methods: From 2021 to 2024, I analyzed forest fragmentation and species occupancy across 51 biological corridors in Costa Rica using GIS and citizen science data. Functional connectivity was measured as the standardized ratio of fragmentation to occupancy, ranging from 0 (sporadic) to 1 (fully functional). Results: Fragmentation was highest in interurban corridors, while Nosara River, Aquifers, Los Santos, and Central-Talamanca showed the least. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) exhibited near-complete connectivity in the Aquifers corridor (ICFR = 0,98), followed by the squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) in Los Santos (ICFR = 0,69). Conclusion: While some corridors show high functional connectivity for select species, most exhibit limited connectivity. This reflects partial fragmentation and the use of corridors as components of broader home ranges in recovering and heterogeneous ecosystems.
References
Aguilar, Y., Aliphat, M. M., Caso, L., del Amo, S., Sánchez, M. de L., & Martínez-Carrera, D. (2014). Impact of traditionally managed forest units on the landscape connectivity of Sierra de Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Revista de Biología Tropical, 62(3), 1099–1109. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v62i3.12821
Elkie, P., Rempel, R., & Carr, A. (1999). Patch Analyst User’s Manual. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Northwest Science & Technology. Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. 16 p + Append.
Galindo-Aguilar, R. E., Pérez-Hernández, M. J., Reynoso-Santos, R., Rosas-Rosas, O., & González-Gervacio, C. (2019). Cambio de uso de suelo, fragmentación del paisaje y la conservación de Leopardus pardalis Linnaeus, 1758. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales, 10(52), 149–169. https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v10i52.395
Gurrutxaga, M. (2004). Conectividad ecológica del territorio y conservación de la biodiversidad: nuevas perspectivas en ecología del paisaje y ordenación territorial. Vitoria-Gasteiz: Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco. (Informes Técnicos; 103). ISBN 84-457-2133-X
Hammer, O., Harper, D. A., & Ryan, P. D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological Statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1), 1–9.
Hernández, P., Muench, C., Rodríguez, D., Arizmendi, M., & Prieto-Torres, D. (2022). La conectividad del paisaje y su importancia para los mamíferos de la Ciudad de México. Oikos, 26, 21–25.
Hernández-Pérez, E., Lemus, S. G., Ayala-Hernández, M. M., & Alemán-Sanches, G. (2024). Land-use change and habitat fragmentation of Leopardus pardalis in Highlands of Puebla, Mexico. THERYA, 15(2), 202–217. https://doi.org/10.12933/therya-24-5970
Jiménez-Ramírez, J. S., & López-Arévalo, H. F. (2021). Análisis de conectividad del paisaje para tres especies de mesodepredadores altoandinos como herramienta para su conservación. Revista de Geografía Norte Grande, 80, 271–291. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-34022021000200271
Leija, E. G., & Mendoza, M. E. (2021). Estudios de conectividad del paisaje en América Latina: retos de investigación. Revista Madera y Bosques, 27(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.21829/myb.2021.2712032
MINAE, SINAC, CONAGEBIO, & FONAFIFO. (2018). Resumen del Sexto Informe Nacional de Costa Rica ante el Convenio de Diversidad Biológica. Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo.
Monge-Velázquez, M. (2024). Naturalista Costa Rica administración del sitio (Costa Rica). Se incorporó: 04.sep.2012. Última actividad: 20.jun.2024. Naturalista Costa Rica. https://costarica.inaturalist.org
Morera, C., & Sandoval, L. F. (2018). Fragmentación y conectividad de la cobertura natural a nivel cantonal en Costa Rica durante los años 2000 y 2015. Revista Geográfica de América Central, 61(4), 37–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.15359/rgac.61-4.2
Montilla-Rivas, A., Soto-Montoya, C., Villavicencio-Serrano, D., Hilje-Rodríguez, B., & Gamboa-Badilla, N. (2025). Conectividad funcional en la Reserva Conchal como parte del Corredor Biológico Costero Marino Baulas-Conchal, Costa Rica. Revista Forestal Mesoamericana Kurú, 22(50), 70–79. https://doi.org/10.18845/rfmk.v22i50.7760
Salazar, E., Mendoza, J., Ochoa-Gaona, S., Ku-Quej, V., & Hidalgo-Mihart, M. (2017). Evaluación de la conectividad del paisaje en la región Puuc-Chenes, México, con base en los requerimientos de hábitat del jaguar (Panthera onca). Revista de Investigación Geográfica, 92. https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.52210
Silverman, B. W. (1998). Density Estimation for Statistics and Data Analysis. Monographs on Statistics and Applied Probability 26. Chapman and Hall, London. 19 p.
SINAC-SNIT. (2021). Mapa de tipos de bosque. https://www.snitcr.go.cr/ico_servicios_ogc_info?k=bm9kbzo6NDA=&nombre=SINAC
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Note: This abstract contains an incorrect copyright due to technical issues. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
All journal contents are freely available through a CC BY 4.0 license.
CC BY 4.0 is a Creative Commons: you can copy, modify, distribute, and perform, even for commercial reasons, without asking permission, if you give appropriate credit.
Contents can be reproduced if the source and copyright are acknowledged according to the Open Access license CC BY 4.0. Self-storage in preprint servers and repositories is allowed for all versions. We encourage authors to publish raw data and data logs in public repositories and to include the links with all drafts so that reviewers and readers can consult them at any time.
The journal is financed by public funds via Universidad Estatal a Distancia and editorial independence and ethical compliance are guaranteed by the Board of Editors, UNED. We do not publish paid ads or receive funds from companies.
Follow Us on Facebook
