Research areas
The Valdivian temperate rainforest of southern Chile ranges from 38º to 43º latitude south and forms part of the Chilean winter rainfall-Valdivian rainforest biodiversity hotspot on account of the high level of endemic species found here, and the threats posed by increasing human pressures on species and ecosystems.
Original
forest cover is fragmented, and human activities, such as logging of
native forest, exotic tree plantations, and agriculture, are still
driving land use change in ways which impact adversely on biodiversity.
There is widespread concern amongst ecologists in Chile that the
protection to native species offered by National Parks and Reserves is
insufficient to secure long-term conservation of biodiversity. The park
system is extensive, but heavily biased towards high elevations in the
Andes. The NPRs poorly represent the range of vegetation types in Chile,
and the size of many of the ecosystems that are protected has been
judged inadequate to support viable populations of large mammals.
Over 90% of forests in the National Parks and reserves are at high Andean locations. Lowland forest habitats adjacent or surrounding protected areas are a conservation priority in the temperate rainforest. This need is now a biodiversity conservation commitment for Chile under the Convention for Biological Diversity.
A programme is currently in development to expand and create buffer zones for the existing “Araucarias” biosphere reserve . The central idea is to enhance conservation of the endemic monkey puzzle forests Araucaria araucana, throughout its remaining distribution, and to provide a framework for sustainable development in the region. This process involves identifying and understanding the functional relationships between the protected area system and peripheral private land habitats, and developing landscape level management priorities.
In this Darwin Initiative project, we are conducting an evaluation of the ecology of wildlife using habitats peripheral to the NPR to assess the options for improving the conservation of endemic species of this conservation hotspot and the implications for the Biosphere Reserve.
Our study area is in the Lake Villarrica catchment, in the Andes of the Araucanía District of Southern Chile (39º15´LS), south of the existing biosphere reserve. The general research aim of the project is the establish knowledge about the habitats and the animals that use them surrounding the National Park system in our study area near Pucón.
This research is currently concentrated in 5 main areas:
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Evaluation of large mammal presence and distribution though camera trapping, recording of scats and tracks and direct observations. (more info...)
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Interviews with farmers, and investigation of puma kill reports to identify points of conflict, such as livestock predation and hunting, between wildlife and the local community. (more info...)
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Field evaluation of vegetation community distribution, composition and structure. (more info...)
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Spatial ecology of puma and kodkod, in relation to habitat fragmentation.(more info...)
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Studies of woodland bird communities, in relation to habitat structure and altitude, using mark-recapture. (more info...)
The study site in Pucon is notable for its wide extent of protected areas, surrounded by a semi-natural matrix, with all the common land use conflicts generated by agriculture, forestry and development. While extensive, the current system of protected areas does not include the full array of biological communities and is not sufficiently large and connected to maintain important ecological processes or viable populations of sensitive wildlife. The task of protecting the ecological integrity of the area still remains, and this is why efforts are being made through the integration of GIS, remote sensing and field research to adequately study the best possible design for a protected area network.
Bird Survey
Records are kept of the size and weights of all birds caught and released
Our study area for the Darwin project
