Conservation of Paraguay’s floristic biodiversity: a biogeographical analysis with a multi-scale spatial approach for the identification of priority areas

Areas of endemism are defined as regions where two or more species share congruent distributions, representing primary homologies in historical biogeography. These areas are critical for conservation efforts. This study identified areas of endemism in Paraguay using an endemicity analysis (EA) with NDM/VNDM software, based on 2,587 records of 106 plant species. We used grids of 0.5° and 0.6° latitude and longitude to evaluate the stability of these areas across different spatial scales. Sixty areas of endemism were identified and grouped into seven consensus areas. Two of these areas, located in the Dry Chaco and the Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest (BAAPA), were consistent across both scales. No endemism areas were found in the Humid Chaco or Pantanal regions. In the Cerrado, two consensus areas overlapped with those of the BAAPA. Additionally, a consensus area was identified in the Cordillera de los Altos and the southern BAAPA region, highlighting a biogeographic transition and the ecotonal nature of the area.