Preserving the Unique Puna Ecosystems of the Andean Altiplano Author(s): Philip W. Rundel and Beatriz Palma Source: Mountain Research and Development, 20(3):262-271. 2000. Published By: International Mountain Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/0276-4741(2000)020[0262:PTUPEO]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/0276-4741%282000%29020%5B0262%3APTUPEO %5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Mountain Research and Development Vol 20 No 3 Aug 2000: 262–271 Philip W. Rundel and Beatriz Palma Preserving the Unique Puna Ecosystems of the Andean Altiplano 262 A Descriptive Account of Lauca National Park, Chile Lauca National Park elevation of 4518 m. It is the highest lake of significant forms a unique area of size in the world. Beyond these scenic attributes are puna and prepuna rich and unique flora and fauna exhibiting remarkable ecosystems in the high adaptations to the high elevations of Lauca. Vicuña, Altiplano of northeast- guanaco, huemul, viscacha, rhea, and flamingo are ern Chile. Its extensive among the notable wildlife readily visible and protect- puna steppe shrub- ed in this park. lands lying above Associated with Lauca National Park, which com- 4000 m and high vol- prises 137,833 ha, are Las Vicuñas National Reserve canoes reaching above (209,131 ha) and the Salar de Surire National Monu- 6000 m provide some ment (11,298 ha). The former was established to pro- of many strong justifications for its designation as a tect and manage populations of the endangered UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1983. The vicuña, while the latter protects a relatively small saline park also contains Lago Chungará, the highest lake in lake that is of international significance for its large the world at 4518 m elevation, and a rich variety of fau- and diverse populations of resident birds. Lauca Bio- na and flora. The mammal fauna of the park includes sphere Reserve (including Lauca National Park, Las notable populations of large herbivores such as vicuña, Vicuñas National Reserve, and Salar de Surire National guanaco, and huemul, and a rich diversity of rodent Monument) was declared a UNESCO International species. More than 140 species of birds, one third of the Biosphere Reserve in 1983, 1 of only 7 reserves in total Chilean bird fauna—with many rare wetland Chile so designated. species— and more than 400 species of vascular plants Lauca National Park is situated at about occur within the park. Despite its relatively pristine natu- 18°10'–18°25' S latitude along the Bolivian border in ral environment, Lauca National Park faces numerous Region 1 of northern Chile (Figure 1). Despite its very management challenges. These include the management high elevation, the entrance to the park lies only of critical and limited water resources, the impacts of 160 km east of the coastal city of Arica. The area of Lau- human population and tourism, management of rare and ca National Park was first set aside as a portion of a endangered species, and pressures from mining and large forest reserve in 1965 and then redesignated as a agricultural interests to decertify areas currently within national park in 1970 by a decree of the Chilean Min- park boundaries. Expansion of the park boundary west- istry of Agriculture. Its present boundaries were set in ward to include ecologically significant prepuna habitats 1983, along with those of Las Vicuñas National Reserve should be a high priority of park management. and Salar de Surire National Monument. It is 1 of only 2 national parks existing in the puna region of the Keywords: Parinacota; Lago Chungará; bofedales; northern Chilean Andes. The other, Volcán Isluga Polylepis; Azorella; park management; Lauca National National Park, lies 120 km to the south. Park; Chile. The summer rainfall regime in the puna region is unique in Chile and different from the Mediterranean- Peer reviewed: April 2000. Accepted: May 2000. like climate in most of the country (Table 1). This cli- matic regime represents the most arid extension of a tropical alpine ecosystem that occurs from central Peru Introduction southward through western Bolivia into northern Chile and Argentina. Tropical alpine climates create extreme Lauca National Park, positioned in the high Andean conditions for survival, with freezing temperatures Altiplano of northern Chile, provides an unparalleled occurring almost every night of the year. Daily ranges example of a pristine, arid puna ecosystem. The Lauca of temperature extremes from high to low may be as Basin within which the major area of this large park much as 25–30°C. The puna as represented at Lauca lies forms a portion of the Altiplano Plateau shared by thus represents a unique bioclimatic and biogeographic southern Peru, western Bolivia, northern Chile, and region of Chile, with strong floristic and faunistic rela- Argentina. Included within the park boundaries are tionships to Peru and Bolivia rather than to other parts spectacular vistas of extensive puna landscapes, large of Chile. Andean lakes and wetlands, and a series of snow- Despite its many attributes, Lauca National Park capped volcanoes. Three volcanic cones rise above continues to face significant issues of resource manage- 6000 m elevation—Parinacota (6342 m), Ponerape ment and protection that are critically important for its (6240 m), and Guallatire (6063 m)—and numerous future. The present article briefly reviews the natural peaks reaching above 5000 m ring the Lauca Basin in attributes of Lauca and discusses issues of resource which the park lies. Lago Chungará is situated at an management and external forces impacting the park. Research FIGURE 1 Map of Lauca National Park showing the primary geographical features and vegetation formations. The transitions from pre-puna shrub- 263 lands to puna shrub steppe and from puna shrub/steppe to high Andean occur at elevations of roughly 4000 and 5000 m, respectively. TABLE 1 Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall at Geomorphology and hydrology Parinacota (4390 m asl). Data from Novoa and Villaseca (1989) for tempera- tures and wind speed and CONAF (1986) for rainfall. Lauca National Park lies largely within the northern Lauca Basin, which is the westernmost extension of a Mean Mean Mean series of fluvio-lacustrine basins that stretch over more maximum minimum Mean wind than 800 km from Lago Titicaca across the Bolivian temperature temperature rainfall speed Altiplano to the Salar de Uyuni. This basin is drained by Month (°C) (°C) (mm) (km/h) the Rio Lauca, which flows eastward into the Copiasa January 7.9 0.3 90.0 5.3 Basin of Bolivia. The eastern margin of the basin is February 7.8 0.2 99.3 4.9 formed by a line of active volcanoes extending from Parinacota and Ponerape to Cerro de Quisiquisini, March 7.5 -0.1 55.9 4.7 Guallatire, and south to Puquintica (5780 m). The west- April 6.1 -1.1 9.5 4.9 ern hydrologic boundary of the basin is formed by a May 3.9 -2.9 3.0 4.9 chain of deeply eroded Miocene volcanoes, which are sometimes termed the Chilean Western Cordillera. Geo- June 1.1 -5.1 1.7 5.9 logically, this chain consists of folded and faulted Creta- July 0.0 -6.0 0.6 5.7 ceous and Tertiary sediments mixed with former vol- August 3.1 -3.5 1.4 5.9 canic centers of activity. The most prominent peaks are the Nevados de Putre (with the Cerro de Taapaca at September 3.7 -0.1 2.7 6.0 5775 m) and Cerro Belén, Cerro Tallacollo, Cerro Oro- October 5.9 -1.3 2.9 6.1 tunco, and Cerro de Anocarire, which all reach above November 6.7 -0.7 14.2 6.0 5000 m. Beyond this chain to the west, the Altiplano plateau exhibits a sharp staircase drop of more than December 7.3 -0.3 39.8 ND 2500 m along two north–south striking normal faults Mean 5.1 -2.0 321.6 5.5 (Kött et al 1995). Philip W. Rundel and Beatriz Palma FIGURE 2 Volcán Parinacota (6342 m) with Lago Chungará, the highest elevation lake in the world, at its base. In the right foreground are dwarf woodlands dominated by Polylepis tarapacana, and the left foreground 264 shows wetland habitats termed bofedales with grazing vicuñas. (Photo by authors) The relatively gentle topography within the Lauca the youngest of a trio of volcanoes forming the Nevados Basin averages about 4100 m in altitude, giving it an de Quimsachata, is one of the most active volcanoes in elevation about 500 m higher than Lago Titicaca. Geo- northern Chile. It has the distinction of being the logical evidence and climate indicators such as pollen, southernmost volcano in the Central Andes to retain a evaporites, and sedimentary facies indicate that an arid perennial thick ice cap. climate has existed in the Lauca Basin over the past 6.2 At 4518 m, Lago Chungará (Figure 2) is the highest million years (Kött et al 1995; Gaupp et al 1999).