Biogeographic Distribution of <em>Cedrela </em>spp. Genus in Peru Using MaxEnt Modeling: A Conservation Approach <sup>†</sup>

Abstract

Expansion of croplands and livestock activities over the time have been considered as major driver for deforestration in Peru. Such severe deforestration activities significantly reduced the number of timber species particularly the genus Cedrela spp. that have high economic and ecological value in current time. Recently Cedrela spp. has been incorporated (28 August 2020) into appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a group of species that could be in danger in near-future. Considering this value, we modelled the biogeographic distribution of 10 species of the genus Cedrela (i.e.