Bosque Pehuén Park's Flora: A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Andean Montane Forests in the Araucanía Region, Chile Author(s): Daniela Mellado-Mansilla, Iván A. Díaz, Javier Godoy-Güinao, Gabriel Ortega-Solís and Ricardo Moreno-Gonzalez Source: Natural Areas Journal, 38(4):298-311. Published By: Natural Areas Association https://doi.org/10.3375/043.038.0410 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3375/043.038.0410 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. R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E ABSTRACT: In Chile, most protected areas are located in the southern Andes, in mountainous land- scapes at mid or high altitudes. Despite the increasing proportion of protected areas, few have detailed inventories of their biodiversity. This information is essential to define threats and develop long-term • integrated conservation programs to face the effects of global change. Consequently, the objectives of Bosque Pehuén Park’s this study were to (1) describe the richness, conservation status, and species composition of the vascular flora found in Bosque Pehuén Park; and (2) analyze the relationships among altitude, species richness, Flora: A Contribution and growth forms. Bosque Pehuén is one of the largest privately protected areas located within the Ar- aucarias Biosphere Reserve, in southern Chile (39°S). The park is dominated by secondary forests that to the Knowledge grew after intensive exploitation in the 1970s, with some remnant old-growth forests. Fifteen regularly distributed plots, 150 m in radius, were sampled. At each plot, all vascular plant species were recorded; of the Andean 101 species were found, of which 79% are endemic, 10% are introduced, and 13% are currently listed in IUCN conservation categories. The highest richness was concentrated within the plots associated with Montane Forests in riparian zones. The total richness tended to decrease with altitude. Epiphytes and climbers were only recorded at lower altitudes, making them the growth forms most influenced by altitude. The background the Araucanía Region, information reported here is essential for effective park management and conservation of the vascular Chile flora species found within this Andean montane forest. Index terms: Araucarias Biosphere Reserve, privately protected areas, temperate Andean forest, vascular Daniela Mellado-Mansilla1,2,5 plants 1 Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Ecología del Dosel Instituto de Conservación, INTRODUCTION within their boundaries. Biodiversidad y Territorio Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 641, Valdivia, Chile There are around 500,000 land plant One of the biodiversity hotspots is the species on Earth, of which approximately Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests, Iván A. Díaz1,2 462,000 correspond to vascular plants which is located between 33°S and 45°S, 2 Javier Godoy-Güinao1,2 (Corlett 2016). According to the Interna- covers 397,142 km , has around 4000 tional Union for Conservation of Nature, vascular plant species (of which more Gabriel Ortega-Solís3 there are 4763 threatened or even extinct than a half are endemic), and at least 80 1,4 Ricardo Moreno-Gonzalez vascular plant species in forest ecosystems species of endemic animals (International (IUCN 2018). Plants are not only important Conservation 2014). In Chile, the National 2 Fundación Mar Adentro because of their high species richness, they System of Government Protected Areas Don Carlos 3171 C are also the main group defining terrestrial (SNASPE, an abbreviation of the Spanish Las Condes, Santiago, Chile ecosystems (Josse et al. 2003; Brummit title Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres et al. 2015), in addition to their roles and 3 Protegidas del Estado) is the government’s Unidad de Gestión Ambiental services, such as producing oxygen, reg- main conservation mechanism and covers Dirección de Servicios Universidad Austral de Chile ulating the climate, and providing habitat 20% of the country, one of the highest Las Encinas 220 and food for many other species. In spite percentages in Latin America (Sierralta et Valdivia, Chile of plants’ importance, they have received al. 2011). Despite the efforts of SNASPE less attention and resources for their con- and the importance of the natural protected 4 Department of Palynology and servation than other more charismatic tax- areas (PA), which are the most effective Climate Dynamics onomic groups, such as animals (Jackson tool for in situ conservation of biodiversity Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for and Kennedy 2009). Nevertheless, relevant and ecosystem services (Rodrigues et al. Plant Sciences University of Göttingen and worldwide recognized conservation 2004; Chape et al. 2008; Watson et al. 2 Untere Karspüle 2 strategies, such as biodiversity hotspots, 2016), only approximately 50,000 km 37073 Göttingen, Germany are based on plant diversity. There are of the total area of this Chilean hotspot currently 35 areas in the world recognized is protected by this system (International • as biodiversity hotspots, because they have Conservation 2014). Also, most of these at least 1500 species of endemic vascular PAs are located above 42°S, while the most 5 Corresponding author: [email protected]; plants and 70% of their surface area is species-rich and endemic forests are con- +56996219740 threatened by habitat loss (Myers et al. centrated between 36°S and 40°S (Armesto 2000; International Conservation 2014). et al. 1998). Currently, this Chilean hotspot Therefore, hotspots are priority sites is not only threatened by direct human Associate editor: Joshua G. Cohen for conservation that are defined by the activities, but is also facing the threat of number of endemic vascular plant species climate change. By the end of 2030, it is Natural Areas Journal 38:298–311 they contain, but aim to protect all of the expected that temperatures will rise at least associated and threatened species that live 0.5 °C, with a decrease in precipitation 298 Natural Areas Journal Volume 38 (4), 2018 throughout southern-central Chile (Minis- this region during the period 1999–2008 composition of the vascular flora found terio del Medio Ambiente 2017). Alarcón was 2.9%, surpassing the previous peak, within Bosque Pehuén Park; and (2) an- and Cavieres (2015) estimated that plant which occurred between 1973 and 1987 alyze the distribution of vascular species species associated with forest ecosystems (1.7%; Miranda et al. 2015). Nevertheless, richness and growth forms across the park. in Chile will change their habitat size during the early 2000s La Araucanía region This baseline information is important to as a response to climate change effects, also experienced an increase in conserva- determine the real input of this area to the and many of them will need more PAs tion initiatives in Andean zones (Pliscoff conservation of montane Andean flora and in order to guarantee the availability and and Fuentes 2008), reaching a total of to facilitate the development of adequate protection of new potential niches. Under 29,716 ha protected by private conservation management strategies in addition to a this scenario, conservation initiatives that areas by 2013 (Núñez-Ávila et al. 2013). long-term monitoring plan capable of provide additional support to government detecting changes in plant diversity in the programs are urgently needed. One of the largest PPAs in the Andean Araucarias Biosphere Reserve. zone of La Araucanía region is Bosque Private conservation initiatives carry out Pehuén Park. This protected area (882 METHODS an important role as buffer zones or bio- ha) was established in 2006. It is located logical corridors among larger PAs—like in the Andes mountain range, covering an government areas. They can also act as core altitude gradient between 860 and 1400 Site Description ecosystems in highly degraded landscapes m.a.s.l., in a buffer zone within the Arau- (Armesto et al. 2002). In Chile, over the carias Biosphere Reserve (ABR), declared Bosque Pehuén Park (882 ha) is owned by last 20 y, many privately protected areas as a protected area by The United Nations Fundación Mar Adentro and is located in (PPAs) belonging to small (<200 ha), Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orga- the foothills of the Quetrupillán Volcano medium (200–1000 ha), and large (>1000 nization (UNESCO) in 1983. This park is (39°44′S, 71°74′W), in the southern Andes, ha) landowners have been established and representative of many Andean forests in La Araucanía Region, Chile (Figure 1). The together protect more than 1,600,000 ha this area since it has suffered the exploita- park has an extensive plain, with less than (Núñez-Ávila et al. 2013). A particularity tion