Anthropogenic Impacts Allowed for the Invasion of Understory Species, Affecting the Sustainability of Management Practices in Southern Patagonia

Yamina Micaela Rosas, Pablo Luis Peri, Juan Manuel Cellini, María V. Lencinas, Sebastian Kepfer Rojas, Inger Kappel Schmidt, Sebastián Pechar, Marcelo Daniel Barrera and Guillermo J. Martínez Pastur ()
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Yamina Micaela Rosas: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Pablo Luis Peri: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), cc 332, Río Gallegos 9400, Santa Cruz, Argentina
Juan Manuel Cellini: Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Maderas (LIMAD), Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP), Calle 130 y 60, La Plata 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
María V. Lencinas: Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Bernardo Houssay 200, Ushuaia 9410, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Sebastian Kepfer Rojas: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Inger Kappel Schmidt: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Sebastián Pechar: Consorcio Regional de Experimentación Agrícola, Grupo CREA Tierra del Fuego, Ea. El Roble, Río Grande 9420, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Marcelo Daniel Barrera: Laboratorio de Investigación de Sistemas Ecológicos y Ambientales (LISEA), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Calle 60 y 119, La Plata 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Guillermo J. Martínez Pastur: Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Bernardo Houssay 200, Ushuaia 9410, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: Forest management aims to preserve integrity and ecosystem resilience. Conservation and species invasion patterns must be determined in managed landscapes. The objectives of this study were to identify proxies that allowed plant species invasion (natives and exotics) and define thresholds of human impacts to improve management. We also wanted to identify indicator species for different impacts and environments. A total of 165 plots were measured in Nothofagus antarctica forests and associated open lands (dry and wet grasslands) in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). We found differences in the studied variables across the landscape and among different uses and impacts. Human impacts influence land types, emphasizing the importance of managing intensities. Indicator plant species allowed for the identification of potential ecological thresholds related to human impacts and the establishment of species linked to ecological and economic degradation, e.g., Bolax gummifera and Azorella trifurcata (cushion plants) were associated with high grazing pressure in grasslands and fires in forested areas, while Rumex acetosella and Achillea millefolium (erect herbs), typically associated with forested areas, were related to high harvesting pressures and fire impacts. These findings contribute to our understanding of the long-term effects of some human impacts (e.g., harvesting and ranching) and allow us to define variables of monitoring and indicator species for each impact type.

Keywords: forest resilience; invasive species; land use; silvopastoral systems; harvesting; ranching; fires (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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