From Diversity to Homogenisation: Assessing Two Decades of Temperate Native Forest Replaced by Exotic Plantations in the Nahuelbuta Mountain Range

Rebeca Martínez-Retureta (), Rosa Reyes-Riveros (), Iongel Duran-Llacer, Lien Rodríguez-López, Clara Margarita Tinoco-Navarro and Norberto J. Abreu
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Rebeca Martínez-Retureta: Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Rudecindo Ortega 02950, Temuco 4780000, Chile
Rosa Reyes-Riveros: Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Rudecindo Ortega 02950, Temuco 4780000, Chile
Iongel Duran-Llacer: Escuela de Ingeniería en Medio Ambiente y Sustentabilidad y Escuela de Ingeniería Forestal, Facultad de Ciencias, Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Santiago 8580745, Chile
Lien Rodríguez-López: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepcion 4030000, Chile
Clara Margarita Tinoco-Navarro: Centro Transdisciplinario de Incidencia Socioambiental, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Queretaro 76230, Mexico
Norberto J. Abreu: Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad de la Frontera, Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4780000, Chile

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: The Nahuelbuta Mountain Range in the south-central zone of Chile is a biodiversity hotspot that has undergone intense land use/cover transformation. This study analyses two decades of land use change (1999–2018) in the watersheds of the Lebu and Leiva rivers. The magnitude and spatial configuration of these changes were assessed using detailed spatial information, transition matrices, and landscape metrics. The results show that between 1999 and 2018, temperate native forest decreased by 30.3% in Lebu and 22.8% in Leiva, being replaced mainly by exotic forest plantations, which increased by 20.2% and 13.5%, respectively. The spatiotemporal analysis revealed losses concentrated in the lowland and middle zones of both watersheds, with persistence of temperate native forest in higher elevations. Landscape metrics showed an increase in diversity (SIDI: Lebu 0.41–0.65; Leiva 0.29–0.57) and a decrease in aggregation (AI: 92–86%; 95–90%). At the class level, the temperate native forest presented greater fragmentation, with a reduction in size and proximity, an increase in density, and more irregular shapes. In contrast, exotic forest plantations increased in size and proximity, with a slight decrease in density and greater complexity of form, consolidating their expansion and spatial continuity in both watersheds. These findings emphasise the need to implement territorial planning and conservation strategies adapted to the Nahuelbuta context, through native forest management plans that promote ecological conservation, the recovery of degraded landscapes, and the strengthening of ecosystem services, thus contributing to the well-being of local communities and long-term environmental sustainability.

Keywords: land use and land cover change; landscape fragmentation; temperate native forest; exotic forest plantations; Nahuelbuta Mountain Range (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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