Assessing Degradation of Abandoned Farmlands for Conservation of the Monte Desert Biome in Argentina

Abstract

Land abandonment is a major issue worldwide. In Argentina, the Monte Desert is the most arid rangeland, where the traditional conservation practices are based on successional management of areas excluded to disturbances or abandoned. Some areas subjected to this kind of management may be too degraded, and thus require active restoration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether passive succession-based management is a suitable approach by evaluating the status of land degradation in a protected area after 17-41 years of farming abandonment. Soil traits and plant growth forms were quantified and compared between sites according to time since abandonment and former land use (cultivation and grazing). Two variables were calculated using the CORINE-CEC method, i.e., potential (PSER) and actual (ASER) soil erosion risk. PSER indicates the erosion risk when no vegetation is present, while ASER includes the protective role of vegetation cover. Results showed that land use history had no significant effect on plant growth forms or soil traits (p > 0.05). After more than 25 years since abandonment of farming activities, soil conditions and vegetation cover had improved, thus having a lower ASER. Nevertheless, the present soil physical crusts may have delayed the full development of vegetation, enhancing erosion processes. Overall, this study indicates that succession-based management may not be the best practice in terms of conservation. Therefore, any effort for conservation in the Monte Desert should contemplate the current status of land degradation and potential vegetation recovery.

Single Session of Chiseling Tillage for Soil and Vegetation Restoration in Severely Degraded Shrublands

“…Overall, results of this study conform to those of previous studies, which showed that under severely degraded lands, self-restoration processes are hindered [69][70][71]. Such conditions negate the effectiveness of passive restoration means, and necessitate active intervention means for commencing restoration processes.…”

Indicators of landscape organization and functionality in semi-arid former agricultural lands under a passive restoration management over two periods of abandonment

“…However, when analyzing the landscape as a whole, only the nutrient cycling index was significantly higher in old fields. This lack of significant differences in stability and infiltration indexes, are consistent with results found in Yannelli et al (2014). Here, we showed that even though the vegetation cover may have improved over time in old fields, the current cover might not be enough to prevent further degradation by erosion, which is related to the stability and infiltration index.…”

“…Abandoned lands provide an opportunity to analyze the development of self-sustaining systems (Benayas et al, 2007), and are paramount for conservation and management of biodiversity and natural ecosystem processes (Yannelli et al, 2014). Recently it has been reported that farmland abandonment may constitute a unique opportunity to restore native forest systems and forest ecosystem services in Europe (Proenc ¸ a et al, 2012).…”

Status, Trend, and Prospect of Global Farmland Abandonment Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…The species richness of the community increased in the first 15 years after abandonment [ 100 , 102 , 141 ]. However, Yannelli et al [ 142 ] reported that, in arid regions, natural succession may not be the best method for ecological restoration, and soil erosion may occur during succession, preventing the establishment of a vegetation cover. Restoration should be adapted to local conditions, taking into account environmental factors such as climate and topography in different regions.…”