A classification scheme of states and transitions for subantarctic ñire forest.

A HUERTAS HERRERA; PL PERI; R SOLER ESTEBAN; M TORO; MV LENCINAS; C ANDERSON; JC PIZARRO; JM CELLINI; YM ROSAS; J BENITEZ; C LORENZO; ME LOPEZ; FJ SOLA; G MARTÍNEZ PASTUR

Temuco

Congreso; Congreso Latinoamericano de IUFRO Landscape Ecology y Segundo Congreso Latinoamericano de IALE.; 2016

IUFRO IALE UFRO

State-transition models (E&TM) provide a powerful decision-analytic tool to describe vegetation dynamics in the context of landscape ecology, elucidating unwanted changes due to natural and human disturbances in natural and managed ecosystems. There are increases in interest about this tool since it is able to identify degradation thresholds to decide as far as is feasible to implement a particular forest management. Nevertheless, in practice it is not easy to structure the best E&TM because the many scenarios that can be defined at different spatial scales. The aim of this work is to provide consensus guidelines for the application of E&TM in subantarctic ñire forest (Argentina) at landscape level. We used disturbance intensity values (low, medium and high) of several drivers of forest change (DFC) to build up a comprehensive classification diagram grouping a sets of E&TM where natural development phases are included (regeneration, initial and final optimal growth, and break down). The process to define E&TM and DFC encompassed discussion and consensus with stakeholders linked to native forest management in Southern Patagonia (scientists, decision makers, government, producers, technicians), validated through participatory workshops and fieldwork to check different situations (states). As result, 5 main drivers of change were recognized: harvesting, livestock, fire, pathogens and wind-throw. We defined 10 states, 8 irreversible transitions and more than 20 possible combinations between developmental phases and DFC. Implementation of E&TM as an instrument for landscape planning would allow to delineate the relationships between drivers of environmental change and native forest management. Besides this, our work aims to establish a new paradigm as the basis (e.g., unified classification of forest units or types) to address and guide future field studies in southernmost managed forests.