Publications

Artavia-Rodríguez, LG; Masis-Campos, R; Avalos-Rodríguez, G (2024). Spatio-temporal analysis of the fire regime in the humid savannas of southern Pacific Costa Rica using MODIS data 2001-2022. REVISTA DE GEOGRAFIA NORTE GRANDE(87).

Abstract
The humid savannas ecosystem of the southern Pacific of Costa Rica is located in a series of patches of different sizes and develops on a complex biophysical setting. The presence of the ecosystem has drawn the attention of naturalists over time, however its genesis is not clear, and there is a debate between a natural or anthropic origin. In the historical references on the ecosystem, the relationship between fire and savannas is evident, but there is a lack of systematized information about said relationship. Here, the spatial and temporal distribution of fire incidence in the humid savannas ecosystem of the South Pacific of Costa Rica is analyzed for the period 2001 to 2022 using MODIS data. For the delimitation of the ecosystem, a RapidEye satellite image of the year 2013 and five meters of pixel resolution was obtained. The fire analysis was produced using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) repository. During the nineteen years under analysis, a total of 13,224.6 hectares were burned, with 2004 being the year that presented the largest calcined area with 3,948.0 hectares. These fires are concentrated mainly during the dry season. The savannas area with the highest frequency of fires occurred in the savannas of the middle and upper section of the Ceibo River watershed, within the Ujarras Indigenous Territory. The results may be useful to improve management planning and conservation of the humid savannas ecosystem in southern Costa Rica.

DOI:

ISSN:
0718-3402