*4.1. Potential Distribution of Genus Cedrela*

Our study is the first attempt that makes use of SDMs as a probabilistic decisionmaking tool [49], which allows the prediction and identification of geographic spaces of the genus *Cedrela* [50] through maximum entropy modeling technique [51]. The proposed model can be applied at regional [24,25] to national scale [52–54] that will significantly contribute to the decision-making system for the Peruvian Amazon authorities. Our model is evident with higher accuracies represented by the strong AUC values of 0.866. Among different topographic and bioclimatic variables, altitude emerges as the most significant variable, which proved to be a determining factor in distribution ranges [24,25]. Species such as *C. montana* and *C. lilloi*, are mostly located and distributed at the higher altitudes. However, the distribution of species depends on the biogeographic conditions and also has a strong influence on historical or evolutionary constraints along with biogeographical, physiological, and ecological factors [55]. In this study, we observed that the 10 species of the genus *Cedrela* covered 17 departments related to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service, as of 2021 [16], and evaluated the location of botanical collections and inventories of the species [13,53,54]. Overall, the modeled distribution of genus *Cedrela* will also help to understand the historic evaluation of genus *Cedrela* species under a spatiotemporal framework. Therefore, we believe that our modeling framework will help in the future in order to establish forest management strategies.

#### *4.2. Conservation and Restoration of Genus Cedrela*

Peru is one of the most megadiverse countries in the world and is enriched with the biogeographic distribution of various species that requires the implementation of adequate strategies for species conservation [56,57]. Among the 10 species of *genus Cedrela, C. odorata* is currently one of the important timber species, threatened by deforestation and unsustainable logging [58]. However, the PAs that harbor *C. odorata*, together with the other species of the *Cedrela* genus (10,171.03 km2), will allow the implementation of mechanisms to maintain its population and genetic diversity, given that the PAs constitute territorial protection reserves [59,60]. Similarly, the degraded areas are the result of anthropogenic pressure and forest fires in 2019 in Peru, occupying an area of 183,288.15 km<sup>2</sup> [35]. Among the degraded region, 11.4% of the area is currently having a high probability of recovery through the plantation of species of high economic value such as the *Cedrela* genus. The *Cedrela* genus needs to be protected from selective logging and overexploitation over time [9,12,18,61]. This is possible through the implementation of sustainable forest management strategies [62], strengthening forest monitoring and surveillance actions [48,63], and forming strategic alliances for conservation to protect these vulnerable species [56].

This study modeled the potential distribution of the genus *Cedrela* in Peru under current climatic conditions and identified which part of this potential distribution is protected by conservation areas or coincides with degraded areas. However, future studies could evaluate the distribution in future conditions of climate change, similar to Rojas et al. [25], who studied five timber forest species in Amazonas (northeastern Peru). However, it should be noted that species distribution models in climate change scenarios should be interpreted with caution since they may overestimate the decline or increase, by not considering the qualities of the species to adapt in situ to new conditions or persist outside the conditions in which they have been observed [64,65]. Despite the above, the relatively stable distribution sites (same current and future potential) of species would be of interest and essential to ensure the success of any conservation or restoration initiative.

#### **5. Conclusions**

The current biogeographic distribution of the 10 genus *Cedrela* (*C. odorata*, *C. montana*, *C. fissilis*, *C. longipetiolulata*, *C. angustifolia*, *C. nebulosa*, *C. kuelapensis*, *C. saltensis*, *C. weberbaueri* and *C. molinensis*) using MaxEnt, covers around 6.7% of Peru, found in 17 departments under Ucayali, Loreto, and Madre de Dios that are more likely to be located

in the Amazon region. Likewise, the Natural Protected Areas categorized by the Peruvian State play a fundamental role in allowing the conservation of 4.4% of the potentially high-distribution regions of its territory. Such regions have high potentiality forthe genus *Cedrela* plantations, and such plantations could possibly be protected through appropriate conservation strategies.

Our research has also allowed us to quantify that 11.4% of the degraded areas identified in Peru as of 2019, can possibly be recovered through the plantation of one or more species of *Cedrela* genus. Therefore, our study has a strong potentiality to serve as a tool for identifying geographic spaces of genus *Cedrela* under a spatiotemporal framework in order to conserve or recover its local populations in areas degraded by anthropic or natural factors.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.C.S., N.B.R.B., B.K.G. and R.S.L.; formal analysis, M.O. and B.K.G.; funding acquisition, C.T.G. and M.O.; investigation, A.C.S., N.B.R.B., S.B., S.G., M.O., B.K.G. and R.S.L.; methodology, A.C.S., N.B.R.B., S.B., S.G., C.T.G., B.K.G. and R.S.L.; project administration, C.T.G., M.O. and R.S.L.; resources, C.T.G., M.O., R.S.L.; software, A.C.S. and N.B.R.B.; supervision, A.C.S., S.B., S.G. and R.S.L.; validation, A.C.S., N.B.R.B., C.T.G., M.O., B.K.G. and R.S.L.; writing—original draft preparation, A.C.S., N.B.R.B. and S.B.; writing—review and editing, A.C.S., N.B.R.B., S.B. and S.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This work was supported by the SNIP project Nº 316114 "Service Creation Project of the Biodiversity and Conservation of Wild Species Genetic Resources Laboratory at the Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza National University—Amazonas Region".

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors appreciate and acknowledge the support of the Research Institute for the Sustainable Development of the Eyebrow of the Jungle (INDES-CES) of the National University Toribio Rodriguez de Amazonas (UNTRM).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
