Vulnerabilidad del matorral mediterráneo de Chile a los incendios forestalesapuntes para su recuperación yconservación

Abstract

In the Chilean matorral, fire does not seem to have been a relevant evolutionary factor in shaping plant traits. Although many matorral species can resprout, fire-stimulated germination is less frequent than in other Mediterranean-type ecosystems. Seed germination is inhibited by fire-cues in almost 40% of the native species evaluated until now,and many of them are endemics of high conservation value. On the other hand, open areas of the matorral are dominated by exotic grasses, which are very resistant to fire.Frequent fires cause great mortality in the native seed bank and generate new open spaces that are colonized by alien plants. Herbivores could determine post-fire recruitment patterns, because they have differential effects on native and exotic plant species.On the other hand, the cultivation of extensive forest plantations has changed the flammability of the landscape of central Chile, increasing the fire risk of the surrounding native forests. Evidence suggests that the matorral would require active restoration measures to recover after fire. Central Chile needs to diversify land uses and recover partof its native forests to design new landscapes more resilient to wildfires in a context of a climate change that is becoming present.