Spatial, Temporal and Ecological Patterns of Peri-Urban Forest Transitions. An Example From Subtropical Argentina

JIMENEZ, YOHANA G.; CEBALLOS, SERGIO J.; ARÁOZ, EZEQUIEL; BLUNDO, CECILIA; CARILLA, JULIETA; MALIZIA, AGUSTINA; GRAU, H. RICARDO

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Frontiers

Año: 2022 vol. 5

Most studies on forest transition (FT) have focused on temporal patterns of forest coveracross whole countries or regions, without much consideration of the local spatiotemporalheterogeneity or the species composition of new forests. We hypothesizethat peri-urban forest transitions are driven by processes associated with urban-basedeconomies and functioning, which define spatial characteristics of new forests. Weanalyzed the patterns of peri-urban forest expansion detected during the past threedecades in the Lules watershed, a montane area of ca. 100,000 ha around San Miguelde Tucumán (SMT), an urban center of ca. one million inhabitants in the Andean foothillsof subtropical Argentina. New forests (4,600 ha) were observed through the watershed,but they were more frequent at short distances (1?15 km) from the urban and secondhome residential areas. New forests nearby SMT are characterized by higher plantdiversity largely due to a higher proportion of exotic species. In some cases, theseexotic species dominated new forests diminishing stand-level biodiversity. Secondhomeresidential areas, a byproduct of the urban centers in intermontane valleys,replicate the spatial patterns of exotic-dominated forest transition observed around SMT.We argue that peri-urban FT provides an early characterization of the future patternsof spontaneous forest transition with increased presence of globalized species whichmay locally increase species richness. We use the case study to discuss emergingresearch lines and to emphasize the importance of urban-centered land use policies(e.g., associated to urban-based uses such as recreation or watershed conservation) askey targets for promoting new forests more beneficial for future generations.