La disposición de las reservas naturales y la protección de los vertebrados terrestres en la provincia de Granada (SE de España)

Resum

Natural reserves are one of the primary wherewithals to protect biodiversity. This work analyses how the arrangement of the natural reserves in the province of Granada protects terrestrial vertebrates. The natural reserves in this province comprise primarily mountain systems, whose landscapes have been only slightly transformed by people. There is higher vertebrate speciesrichness per 10 x 10 km square inside the reserves, especially for mammals, ophidians and some bird families. Also, inside the reserves there is higher richness of threatened species than in non-protected zones. Nevertheless, the protection of the different vertebrate communities in the study area is unequal: while mountain communities were adequately protected, those areas where communities with the highest richness of stepparian birds or amphibians occur do not have protection. The community with the highest richness is La Vega, which lacks protection, probably because it is in the zones with more people, suggesting that a conflict between the interest of local people and conservation exists. In order to protect all the biodiversity of terrestrial vertebrates in the province of Granada, it is suggested that the next reserves should be placed in stepparian zones, the eastern region of the province, and in the plain of La Vega de Granada.