Recreation Ecology Research in the Dry Andes: Aconcagua Provincial Park

AGUSTINA BARROS; CATHERINE MARINA PICKERING

Dunedin

Congreso; VII Southern Connection Congress; 2012

University of Otago

The Andes is the highest and longest mountain range in the Southern Hemisphere. It has high biodiversity and is a primary water source for South America. The dry Central Andes (31°-35°S) has few inhabitants due to elevation, harsh weather and limited road access, although peaks over 6000m attract mountaineers who use pack animals for transport. Recreation is a main source of disturbance, including the highest peak, Mt Aconcagua (6962 m), receiving over 30,000 day visitors and 7,000 mountaineers and pack animals each summer. Vegetation and associated biodiversity in Aconcagua is often restricted to valley floors, where tourism use is concentrated. To start addressing the deficit in recreation ecology research in the region we assessed the impacts of: 1) trampling, 2) grazing by pack animals and 3) fragmentation from trails on vegetation in Aconcagua. The relative impact of trampling by hikers and pack animals was assessed using an experimental protocol. Pack animals did more damage than hikers per pass, although the alpine meadow was comparatively resistant to both disturbance types due to the dominance of the sedge Carex gayana. When grazing by pack animals was excluded for a growing season, high altitude meadows rapidly recovered biomass. The intensively used main valley contained 12 km of informal trails that fragmented vegetation into smaller patches with low vegetation cover and high weeds occurrence. Concentrating use and restricting pack animals grazing will reduce tourism impacts in this Park. These results are useful for managers of Aconcagua and other parks in the dry Andes.