Informing forest conservation planning with detailed human footprint data for Argentina

Global Ecology and Conservation

Volker C. Radeloff¹  Ashley Olah²  Natalia Politi³  Luis Rivera⁴  Alejandro Huertas Herrera⁴  Leónidas Lizarraga⁵  Yamina M. Rosas⁵  Guillermo Martínez Pastur⁶  Anna M. Pidgeon⁶  Sebastián Martinuzzi⁶  Eduarda M.O. Silveira⁷ 

[1] Corresponding author.;Departamento de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Acuícolas, Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG), Avenida Bulnes 01855, 6210427 Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile;Administración de Parques Nacionales, Delegación Regional Noroeste, Santa Fe 23, 4400 Salta, Argentina;Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy (UNJU), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Alberdi 47, 4600 San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina;Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Houssay 200, 9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina;SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA;Ulterarius Consultores Ambientales y Científicos Ltda, Río de Los Ciervos 5862, km 6 ½ Sur, 6210427 Punta Arenas, Chile;

关键词: Human footprint;    Human modification;    Wilderness;    Land use planning;    Threats;    Native forests;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Conserving the remaining wildest forests is a top priority for conservation, and human footprint maps are a practical way to identify wild areas. However, available global assessments of wild areas are too coarse for land use decisions, especially in countries with high deforestation rates, such as Argentina. Our main goal was to map the human footprint in Argentina’s forested areas to improve conservation planning at regional and country levels. Specifically, we quantified the level of human influence on the environment and mapped the wildest native forests (i) across forest regions, and (ii) in the different land-use categories of the National Forest Plan, which is a key policy instrument for conserving the nation’s native forests through zoning, and (iii) identified wildest forests that are at risk due to human activities. We analyzed detailed spatial data on settlements, transportation, energy, and land use change, and estimated the areal extent to which these various human activities disrupt natural processes. We defined pixels with human footprint index of zero as wildest areas. We found that a substantial portion (43%) of Argentina’s forested area remains wild, which suggests there are opportunities for conservation. However, levels of human influence varied substantially among forest regions, and Atlantic and Chaco forests have the highest levels of human influence. Further, we found that the National Forest Plan does not conserve the wildest forests of the nation, as most (78%) of the wildest native forests are located in zones that allow silvopasture, timber production, and/or forest conversion to crops, thus potentially threatening biodiversity in these areas. Our map of wildest forests is an important, but first, step in identifying wildland forests in Argentina, as available spatial data layers of human activities capture many, but not all, human influences on forests. For instance, small human features, like certain rural roads, trails, and rural settlements exist in our wildest areas. Our study provides new datasets to assist land use planners and conservationists, and identifies areas for conservation attention in Argentina. More broadly, our analyses highlight the value of detailed human footprint data to support conservation decisions in forest landscapes.

【 授权许可】

Unknown