Daniel Renison
Restoration of Polylepis Mountain Woodlands in the High Córdoba Mountains, Argentina
| Town/Region | Country | Categories | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Gigantes, Córdoba Mountains | Argentina | Central and Latin America, Seeds, Trees | 14 Dec 2006 |
Polylepis woodlands are distributed along the South American tropical Andes and mountains of central Argentina. Some species grow in the upper belt of the tropical mountain forest, others in isolated stands far above a closed treeline. This distribution is mainly the result of a reduction of former extense forests. Today, Polylepis woodlands belong to the most endangered ecosystems of the world. The restoration of Polylepis woodlands in the high Córdoba Mountains (Argentina) is important because they hold many endemic species and protect river basins which provide water to over two million people. Twenty percent of the high Córdoba Mountains consist of badly eroded areas which are unproductive and strongly need restoration work.
Our team started this project in 1997 on volunteer based activities and to date we have planted 18.000 Polylepis seedlings in areas excluded from livestock, restored numerous erosion gullies and did researches on the ecology of our forests and the best methods to restore them which has lead to 13 graduation thesis and 12 scientific publications in local and international journals.
Now we want make a substantial and long lasting contribution to the restoration of these mountains by:
(1) involving more volunteers in the project,
(2) training the volunteers and other conservation leaders to start similar scientifically based projects,
(3) further study restoration techniques. Involving people and their learning how to restore habitats in a scientifically based project and helping them to obtain funding will be a good contribution to Polylepis conservation in Argentina and South America, and very important because at least three other SouthAmerican conservationist groups are "restoring" forests using exotic species (Pinus, Eucalyptus, etc.).
Additionally, we have not been able to produce a substantial amount of the native Maytenus boaria and Escallonia cordobensis seedlings due to low or null germination rates. Doing research on how to germinate their seeds, and where to plant the seedlings will help restoration tasks.
Find out more about Daniel's earlier work at http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/Projects/DanielRenison or contact danielrenison@ecosistemasarg.org.ar or go to http://www.welcome.to/reforestacion