Determinación de la composición y estructura del arbolado urbano de la ciudad de Riobamba, provincia de Chimborazo”

Abstract

The present study addresses the problem of insufficient green spaces in Riobamba, Ecuador, a critical situation given that 42% of the country's provinces do not comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of having at least nine square meters of green spaces per inhabitant. Riobamba, in particular, has only 2.07 m² of green spaces per inhabitant. Thus, the study's general objective was to determine the composition and structure of urban trees in Riobamba. Specific goals include conducting a census of tree species, determining diversity and abundance indices, and mapping the spatial location of species. The research was carried out in the urban area of Riobamba, covering 3,174.95 hectares. Tree species were censused in parks (PQ) and avenues (AV). The field phase consisted of censusing 45 wooded areas and recording each tree's qualitative and quantitative variables. The species were identified by comparison with Chimborazo Polytechnic Herbarium (CPH) samples. 5,250 individuals belonging to 43 species, 37 genera, and 22 families were recorded. Acacia melanoxylon (1,045 individuals) and Callistemon sp. (508 individuals) were the most abundant species. 67.4% of the species are exotic. Simpson's index indicated medium to high diversity, while Shannon's showed generally low diversity. The spatial distribution revealed significant variability between areas, with AV01 (452 individuals) as the most populated and PQ19 (4 individuals) as the least populated. So, it is concluded that the predominance of exotic species over native ones highlights the need for strategies to promote biodiversity and sustainability.