By Mauricio Galleguillos, PhD in Agricultural Sciences, academic at the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences UAI and researcher at Data Observatory
Forests are essential ecosystems for the functioning of the planet, given their multiple roles in the provision and regulation of the carbon, water, and other biogeochemical cycles, as well as hosting a large part of terrestrial biodiversity. It is these attributes, essential for human well-being, that are being threatened by global change.
Chile presents an important part of the territory covered by forests. Within the forests forgotten by the majority of Chileans are the arid forests, which include the sclerophyll and spinal forests. Arid forests represent one of the five types of Mediterranean forests that exist globally and have been classified as a global biodiversity hotspot. These ecosystems are found between the Coquimbo and Biobío regions, and border most of the human settlements, agricultural area, and forest plantations in the country. This situation has led to the less than 15% of the original area of these forestsbeing classified as severely threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Another of the great threats to these forests are fires, which have grown and will grow in terms of intensity and magnitude in accordance with the drought projections announced for the region. The recent episodes of 2017 and this year, which burned nearly 1 million hectares of vegetation, including arid forests, make us feel closer to the problems that affect these ecosystems.
This perception actually materializes in tangible losses on numerous goods and services that this forest provides, highlighting among them provision services such as for the generation of charcoal that we use in barbecues or wood bark such as quillay, which has great value. in various industrial applications. The forest also provides essential seeds and bulbs for plant production in ornamental nurseries and restoration projects. Another of the essential aspects of the native forest is its role in honey production, which has been seriously affected in recent years, which has also had consequences for the pollination of numerous fruit trees. In addition, the forest also provides sustenance for all kinds of animals that live from it, including livestock for human consumption.
The forest also provides regulation services such as erosion control, which can be of great importance when facing torrential rains announced by climate change projections. The forest also regulates the hydrological cycle, which favors stability in watercourses, especially in summer, and also has the capacity to purify polluted air, which is especially important near cities. The forest contributes to the capture and sequestration of carbon, especially through its storage in the soil; and finally, it also provides cultural services linked to the interaction with nature of human beings, which translates into a perception of peace.
On this day where we commemorate the forests, it is important to move towards ways of generating sustainable landscapes that favor the conservation of these ecosystems for future generations, their success being dependent on the actions or inactions that we take in this regard as a society.
