Forest Health in the Southern Cone of America: State of the Art and Perspectives on Regional Efforts

Abstract

The plantation and natural forests of South America have been highly impacted by native and exotic pests in recent decades. The interaction of emerging invasive pests, climate change, and timber markets will define the region’s forests, with significant but uncertain ecological changes and economic losses expected. The Southern Cone Forest Health Group (SCFHG), a joint ad hoc initiative run by forest health professionals from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, aims to strengthen relationships between the forestry industry, stakeholders, academia, and government agencies across the region. Here, we highlight regional strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities to address forest health issues in the region. A regional approach with a strong communication network is relevant for future actions. In the current global scenario of invasive species and climate change, the implementation of practices that incorporate the resilience of forest ecosystems and sustainable management needs to be prioritized in forest policy across the region. Understanding that pests and pathogens do not recognize borders, we call on governments and organizations to support joint actions with agreements and adequate resources to enhance our regional capabilities.

Landscape configuration modulates the presence of leaf-cutting ants in eucalypt plantations

“…However, pest responses to landscape complexity show variable patterns globally, primarily related to species traits and the specific context in which crops are cultivated 6 . Furthermore, forestry systems are much less studied, and understanding how different key drivers modulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of pest species is crucial to developing effective management strategies, especially when dealing with native pest species 7 .…”

“…Plantation forests in tropical regions and in South America are typically developed as intensive crops of even-aged non-native tree species, cultivated in monoculture plots over large areas 7 – 9 . This regional pattern is likely due to the exceptional growth and yield rates observed in exotic trees, mainly eucalypts and pines, compared to those observed for the same species in their native distribution 10 , 11 .…”

“…Currently, management actions for LCAs are typically focused on a pest- and crop-centric strategy 23 and rely on the use of generic chemical insecticides applied within productive plots. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need for the forestry sector in particular, and society in general, to develop new management strategies for LCAs that are validated in productive environments and have a reduced environmental impact 7 . Therefore, for pest insect species such as LCAs that are highly polyphagous and their movement mechanisms allow them to exploit resources between different habitat patches, understanding how landscape characteristics influence dynamics is important to develop sustainable and environmentally safe actions within system-centric schemes 23 .…”