Silvopastoral management in Nothofagus antarctica forests: The challenge to implement forest plans at landscape level scale

PL PERI; G MARTÍNEZ PASTUR

San Jose

Congreso; III Congreso Latinoamericano de IUFRO; 2013

CATIE

In Patagonia, ñire (Nothofagus antarctica) forests have been used mainly as silvopastoral systems where thinning increases understorey forage production by increasing available light. Cattle and mixed livestock production (cattle + sheep) is the main activity. In the last decade, there was a knowledge increase related to productivity and quality of understorey, animal production, tree growth, litter decomposition, nutrients content, microclimatic changes, carbon sequestration, regeneration dynamics and biodiversity. This information was generated mainly at the farm spatial scale or plots less than 5 ha. However, to maintain biological diversity and ecosystem services of native forests under a silvopastoral use requires management practices at landscape level for proper ecosystem conservation. The main aspects to take into account for landscape management are: (i) the necessity of a Regional Plan (by determining areas of forests to be grazed and/or thinned, tourism and recreation, protection), (ii) protect forest growing in slopes >25º for soil conservation, (iii) protect both side of rivers and lakes for water quality provision to society, (iv) protect fragile forest ecosystems (sites with mean dominant height < 4m). Also, it is important to create a connectivity system at regional level for fauna and flora conservation, and to maintain the ecological functions of ñire forests. Therefore, to avoid forest fragmentation it is relevant to create habitat availability indices for the analysis of forest connectivity under silvopastoral use. At the moment, considering the regional impact of ñire forest, there is a lack of management plans or legislation to maximize the forest?s sustainable benefits.