Susceptibility to forest fires in the area, Las Mercedes, Sancán, Cantón Jipijapa

Abstract

Forest fires are currently an environmental and socioeconomic problem, the frequency and area affected by these events are attributed to intrinsic factors such as the natural characteristics of an ecosystem and extrinsic factors such as indiscriminate agricultural burning, which are developed in areas exposed to this threat. For this reason, our study aims to establish the areas with the highest incidence and susceptibility to forest fires in the area of Las Mercedes, Sancán, canton Jipijapa. The analysis is based on data collected from geospatial sources, in which the methodology proposed in Colombia by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) was taken as a reference. The results show that the intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of this ecosystem such as temperature, precipitation, types of plant fuels, topography and accessibility influence the probability of a fire originating in the study area, thus concluding that Las Mercedes has a very high degree of susceptibility to the occurrence of fires, information that serves as a basis for decision-making in risk management, risk reduction and territorial planning.