Identification of Priority Areas for Integrated Management of Semiarid Watersheds in the Ecuadorian Andes

Integrated watershed management (IWM) is a priority, especially in semiarid regions that are concurrently affected by population growth, land use change, soil erosion, and poor governance. In developing countries, IWM is often done without any support tool, scientific data, or deep knowledge of territory characteristics. The aim of this study was to present a case study to apply a decision support tool to prioritize areas for territory management. A simple, quantitative multi‐criteria analysis was applied in a semiarid basin of the Ecuadorian Andes to identify the zones of greatest concern for implementation of resource conservation and management practices at a local and regional scale. In addition to describing the current state of the conditions of this basin, our results suggest scenarios of change in relation to official population projections based on spatial analysis of land use change. Analysis resulted in a scattered distribution of priority values within the watershed, so a hierarchical rule was incorporated to define priorities at the subwatershed (SW) scale. Our analysis identified four SW of very high priority and urgent need to implement management practices. Based on projections of future change due to population growth and land cover change, the number of subbasins that require more attention was doubled. Finally, this study includes zones for management or conservation of the land, according to the Sustainable Development Goals.