Landscape fragmentation and loss of connectivity in Polylepis forests in Peru and its vulnerability to climate change

Polylepis forests are an important and large Andean ecosystem of biodiversity in many South American countries. Currently there is not much research on the changes in these forests related to landscape fragmentation, loss of connectivity and climate change; this leads to a disadvantage for making decisions about restoration and conservation of these forests that could be future adaptation strategies to climate change. This review analizes studies on landscape fragmentation and loss of connectivity in Polylepis forests and the vulnerability to impacts of climate change in Peruvian Andean forests through a literature search in databases of scientific articles, documents and Peruvian regulations. It was found that climate change over the years has been affecting Polylepis forests; however, some studies show that this species may sometimes be resilient, so more research should be done on changes in these ecosystems which will be important information to promote their conservation.