Protective benefits and environmental services of Patagonian steppes under economic activities

SCHOLZ FG; BUCCI SJ; BUREK A; PEREIRA DA; ARIAS NS; IOGNA PA; CARBONELL SILLETTA LM; PARRA G; GOLDSTEIN GH

Shenyang

Conferencia; 2023 International Conference on Protective Forests (ICPF 2023); 2023

Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Three-North Shelterbelt Program Construction Bureau, National Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry,

Dryland areas around the world are affected by land degradation. Argentina, in the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere, is the second Latin American country in extent of drylands, representing 55% of their land area, most of which is found in the Patagonian Region. This region is mainly characterized by plateaus covered by semi-desert steppes used for extensive sheep grazing since the end of the nineteenth century as well as for hydrocarbon and mining exploitation. In addition to these factors, this region is exposed to strong winds exceeding 120 km/h. We will show that despite all environmental limitations, Patagonian steppes exposed to moderate grazing are strong CO2 sinks, sequestering about of 280 g C m-2 yr-1, which due to their extensive area could contribute significantly to global carbon balance. Shrubs, which increase their coverage by grazing, affect the microclimate, and present facilitative interactions with other species of interest for conservation or restoration. Moderate grazing also decreases CO2 emission from soils and increases water storage in the soil. Even under the severity of environmental conditions (drought and wind) some crops such as olives, recently expanded to higher latitudes as Patagonian region, are cultivated on plateaus by using native vegetation as windbreaks and wastewater. Our results indicate that it is possible the development of sustainable economic activities in Patagonian drylands maintaining ecosystem services.