The forest's flora

The studied area is located in the south-west of Loja Province and in the south-east of El Oro Province, in Puyango and in Las Lajas. This is a protected area which is Protector-Forest rated with an extension of 3,712 ha. Its value lies on a tropical dry forest relict with flora and fauna endemic of this vegetal formation.

The Puyango Petrified Forest PPF embraces a surface with a changing height from 360 to 500 meters over the sea level and an inter-annual temperature from 25.2 C º. The average annual precipitation is 1150 mm. during the winter season whose four months are marked in with a precipitation of 84% from the annual amount; there are two months (August and September) when there is an almost non-existing precipitation. This rain concentration in just a few months determines serious changes in the landscape that is one of the most notable characteristics of the area.

The PPF is one of the few remaining tropical dry forest in the south-west of Ecuador, where the irregular topography of the terrain, which is characterized by countless slopes and brooks have permitted to preserve natural vegetation relicts.
The objective of this study is the characterization of the vegetation and the flora existing in the area; for this, five units of vegetation have been identified where sampling plots have been situated on representative places for each unit; by this, the floristic composition of the PPF was established.

The current study provides the basic information for the formulation and development of the Planning and Management Plan for the Puyango Petrified Forest.

The remaining vegetation in Puyango Petrified Forest has a low density; however its precarious preservation state is the habitat and shelter for endemic wild fauna species, which need to be protected because of its particular preservation state.

The floristic diversity existing in the PPF area is low; this is a characteristic of the tropical dry forest formation, it has a high value for preservation though, thanks to the uniqueness of the species registered, which are basic for the PPF’s biotic community.