EFFECT OF MINING ACTIVITY ON BIODIVERSITY IN A SECTOR OF THE PAQUISHA PARISH, PROVINCE OF ZAMORA CHINCHIPE-ECUADOR

The Ecuadorian Amazon region represents 45% of the national territory and constitutes one of the largest ecological reserves of humanity due to its biological wealth. In recent years, the forest area in the Latin American Amazon has been reduced by 4.5% (240,000 km²). Ecuador is one of the countries with the highest deforestation in the region (2.4%). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of mining activity on biodiversity, hence possible changes in the ecosystem, fragmentation, abundance, richness, dominance and diversity of species were estimated. The study area was located in a mining area in the Province of Zamora Chinchipe, Cantón Paquisha-Ecuador. Through point estimators, 123 species of vascular plants divided into 43 families were identified, the highest abundance was presented by Asteraceae with 12%, followed by Araceae with 8.5% and Melastomataceae with 7.5%. Likewise, 42 species of birds were identified, 16 of mammals, 12 of amphibians and reptiles, and 36 macroinvertebrate individuals. It could be inferred that there is a marked deterioration of the ecosystem in the area, however an interesting diversity of species remains, mainly flora. In relation to fauna, the loss of certain species is evident, mainly due to agricultural expansion, hunting and mining activity. According to the Shannon index, the aquatic fauna is low, and according to the BMWP / Col index the water in the area is highly polluted.