<p>This study focused on analyzing changes in structural connectivity between two mountain ecosystems of high ecological and socioeconomic importance in Colombia, the high Andean Forest of the National Protected Forest Reserve (RFPN) El Malmo and the Paramo de Rabanal, with their areas of influence, during the period from 2012 to 2023. To evaluate changes in connectivity, a combination of Planet Scope satellite image processing was used to identify vegetation cover, validated by a reliability matrix and Kappa Index, and landscape analysis indicators in three categories: composition: patch area, number of patches, percentage of landscape; diversity: total landscape areas; and configuration: connectivity index. This made it possible to quantify land cover transformations and their impact on the ecological connectivity of the region. The results revealed a significant increase of 3585 m² in Barren and Degraded Lands (7.97%), in areas dedicated to agricultural activities, especially in the mosaic of pasture and crops (0.7%), as well as in non-forested dense grasslands (3.51%) and Artificial Territories (0.16%). On the other hand, considerable reductions of 7382 m² were observed in the cover of dense lowland forests (16.41%) and forest plantations (0.45%). These changes have contributed to the fragmentation of the landscape and to the loss of connectivity and habitat for species such as <i>Hesperomeles goudotiana, Diplostephium tenuifolium</i> and Espeletia family, among others representative of the Páramo de Rabanal and the RFPN El Malmo. These findings highlight the importance of implementing conservation and sustainable management measures in the area to mitigate the negative effects of landscape fragmentation and ensure the survival of species in these ecosystems. This, in turn, will benefit the local communities that rely on the ecosystem services provided by these environmentally important areas.</p> Graphical abstract <p>The image presents a flow chart that summarizes the methodological process to evaluate structural connectivity using satellite images. The flow starts with the acquisition of images from the Planet Scope sensor, followed by a preprocessing stage where radiometric, atmospheric, and topographic corrections and band combinations are applied to optimize the information obtained. After preprocessing, the analysis is oriented towards structural connectivity, which considers the composition, diversity, and configuration of the captured landscape. The arrows between the boxes show a sequential and logical process to convert raw satellite data into relevant information on spatial patterns and structures.</p>