Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035?
Facing rapid loss of biodiversity as a consequence of climate change, Chile has formally pledged to restore 600,000 ha of native forest by 2035. This effort, however, has not considered the amount and quality of native plants required to meet this pledge. Thus, we examined data collected during the...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/71 |
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| author | Manuel Acevedo Carolina Álvarez-Maldini R. Kasten Dumroese Jan R. Bannister Eduardo Cartes Marta González |
| author_facet | Manuel Acevedo Carolina Álvarez-Maldini R. Kasten Dumroese Jan R. Bannister Eduardo Cartes Marta González |
| author_sort | Manuel Acevedo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Facing rapid loss of biodiversity as a consequence of climate change, Chile has formally pledged to restore 600,000 ha of native forest by 2035. This effort, however, has not considered the amount and quality of native plants required to meet this pledge. Thus, we examined data collected during the annual, government-conducted census of small- and medium-sized nurseries from central Chile, which account for 78% of the nation’s total plant production, to assess if current production is sufficient to meet Chile´s restoration needs. We coupled this with data collected during our series of ongoing research projects to determine if nurseries are currently meeting minimum seedling quality standards based on morpho-physiological attributes. Our four-year analysis (2016–2019) shows that the number of native seedlings has increased by only 4%, but because only 19% of nursery managers have training, just 29% of all seedlings meet quality criteria for restoration. Thus, under the current rate and quality of plant production, meeting restoration pledges desired by the year 2035 would not be achieved until 2181. This timeline can be accelerated through an urgent expansion of nursery space, implementation of a continuous program for technology and knowledge transference, and strong support through governmental policies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:44:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e30eefaedd749ba8447263be64a8ac6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:44:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e30eefaedd749ba8447263be64a8ac62023-12-03T13:16:29ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2021-01-011017110.3390/land10010071Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035?Manuel Acevedo0Carolina Álvarez-Maldini1R. Kasten Dumroese2Jan R. Bannister3Eduardo Cartes4Marta González5Instituto Forestal, Centro Tecnológico de la Planta Forestal, Región del Biobío 7770223, ChileInstituto de Ciencias Agro-alimentarias, Animales y Ambientales (ICA3), Campus Colchagua, Universidad de O’Higgins, San Fernando 2840440, ChileUSDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID 83843, USAInstituto Forestal, Oficina Chiloé, Castro 5700000, ChileInstituto Forestal, Centro Tecnológico de la Planta Forestal, Región del Biobío 7770223, ChileInstituto Forestal, Centro Tecnológico de la Planta Forestal, Región del Biobío 7770223, ChileFacing rapid loss of biodiversity as a consequence of climate change, Chile has formally pledged to restore 600,000 ha of native forest by 2035. This effort, however, has not considered the amount and quality of native plants required to meet this pledge. Thus, we examined data collected during the annual, government-conducted census of small- and medium-sized nurseries from central Chile, which account for 78% of the nation’s total plant production, to assess if current production is sufficient to meet Chile´s restoration needs. We coupled this with data collected during our series of ongoing research projects to determine if nurseries are currently meeting minimum seedling quality standards based on morpho-physiological attributes. Our four-year analysis (2016–2019) shows that the number of native seedlings has increased by only 4%, but because only 19% of nursery managers have training, just 29% of all seedlings meet quality criteria for restoration. Thus, under the current rate and quality of plant production, meeting restoration pledges desired by the year 2035 would not be achieved until 2181. This timeline can be accelerated through an urgent expansion of nursery space, implementation of a continuous program for technology and knowledge transference, and strong support through governmental policies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/71nurseriesmanagement practicesinternational agreementseedling attributes |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Acevedo Carolina Álvarez-Maldini R. Kasten Dumroese Jan R. Bannister Eduardo Cartes Marta González Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? Land nurseries management practices international agreement seedling attributes |
| title | Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? |
| title_full | Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? |
| title_fullStr | Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? |
| title_short | Native Plant Production in Chile. Is It Possible to Achieve Restoration Goals by 2035? |
| title_sort | native plant production in chile is it possible to achieve restoration goals by 2035 |
| topic | nurseries management practices international agreement seedling attributes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/1/71 |
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