Local Management of Andean Wetlands in Sajama National Park, Bolivia

Villarroel, Elena Katia; Mollinedo, Paula Lady Pacheco; Domic, Alejandra I.; Capriles, José M.; Espinoza, Carlos

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-14-00024.1

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, these studies were on forest regions and we found few studies that map peatbogs in High elevation environments. These studies were focused on much smaller areas (e.g., Villarroel et al 2014) and were located at lower latitude Tropical Andes (e.g., Otto et al 2011) where climatic variables differ from the present study. Our approach combines a well known, methodologically transparent and operationally easy classification process with a simple post-processing technique that improves the accuracy of map by 7 % in an important variable to this cover class (i.e., number of polygons) applied to a large region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Mapping and spatial characterization of Argentine High Andean peatbogs

Izquierdo

Foguet²,

Grau

2015

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Peatbogs are the most productive and biodiversity rich ecosystems of high dry Puna region, and provide essential ecosystems services to local inhabitants. Despite their ecological and economic importance, the geographic patterns and distribution of peatbogs as well the dynamic of this system are barely known. In this work we (1) identified and mapped subtropical Argentine High Andean peatbogs based in a supervised classification of Landsat images, and a posteriori spatial processing to define functional units; (2) used such classification to characterize the whole Argentina Puna region (14.3 million hectares) in terms of their geographic patterns of peatbogs; and (3) characterized the region's sub-watersheds according to their peatbogs density and geographic characteristics. The post-process map reports a total area of peatbogs of 94427.55 ha (0.66 % of total study area) with 10,428 polygons. The majority of peatbogs are small or median (i.e., 21.8 % of total area included \10 ha, while 24.5 % of total area are peatbogs from 10 to 50 ha), but only two peatbogs with [10,000 ha represent 18 % of total area. Peatbogs density is spatially heterogeneous, with much higher density in the north and central east of the study area. Subwatershed can be grouped into six main groups according to the percentage of peatbogs cover, mean size of peatbogs and altitude. The combination of basic information, such as map of peatbogs cover with spatial patterns characterization, is a priority input for the conservation planning of this extensive and valuable ecosystem, and to ongoing land use planning initiatives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Mapping and spatial characterization of Argentine High Andean peatbogs

Izquierdo

Foguet²,

Grau

2015

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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“…(Figures 1 and 2). Due to limited water availability, indigenous communities have depended on the extensive high Andean peatland network, locally known as "bofedales", as water reservoirs and livestock forage resources for thousands of years [6][7][8]. The high Andean peatlands have the highest primary productivity among the distinct terrestrial ecosystems of the Altiplano region, with average carbon accumulation rates at least an order of magnitude higher than Northern Hemisphere peatlands [9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

et al. 2019

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The high Andean peatlands, locally known as “bofedales”, are a unique type of wetland distributed across the high-elevation South American Altiplano plateau. This extensive peatland network stores significant amounts of carbon, regulates local and regional hydrological cycles, supports habitats for a variety of plant and animal species, and has provided critical water and forage resources for the livestock of the indigenous Aymara communities for thousands of years. Nevertheless, little is known about the productivity dynamics of the high Andean peatlands, particularly in the drier western Altiplano region bordering the Atacama desert. Here, we provide the first digital peatland inventory and multiscale productivity assessment for the entire western Altiplano (63,705 km2) using 31 years of Landsat data (about 9000 scenes) and a non-parametric approach for estimating phenological metrics. We identified 5665 peatland units, covering an area of 510 km2, and evaluated the spatiotemporal productivity patterns at the regional, peatland polygon, and individual pixel scales. The regional assessment shows that the peatland areas and peatlands with higher productivity are concentrated towards the northern part of our study region, which is consistent with the Altiplano north–south aridity gradient. Regional patterns further reveal that the last seven years (2011–2017) have been the most productive period over the past three decades. While individual pixels show contrasting patterns of reductions and gains in local productivity during the most recent time period, most of the study area has experienced increases in annual productivity, supporting the regional results. Our novel database can be used not only to explore future research questions related to the social, biological, and hydrological influences on peatland productivity patterns, but also to provide technical support for the sustainable development of livestock practices and conservation and water management policy in the Altiplano region.

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“…The most common peatland taxa, Eleocharis, is commonly consumed by domestic camelids and livestock [93,94] and is able to tolerate high grazing pressures [95]. Furthermore, results suggest a shift in herding strategies, from managing pastures with abundance of highly lignified and short tussock grasses, to managing wetlands characterized by the abundance of moist and succulent herbs available throughout the entire year [96,97].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Thousand Years of Land-Use and Vegetation Evolution in the Andean Highlands of Northern Chile Inferred from Pollen and Charcoal Analyses

et al. 2018

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The European conquest of the New World produced major socio-environmental reorganization in the Americas, but for many specific regions and ecosystems, we still do not understand how these changes occurred within a broader temporal framework. In this paper, we reconstruct the long-term environmental and vegetation changes experienced by high-altitude wetlands of the southcentral Andes over the last two millennia. Pollen and charcoal analyses of a 5.5-m-long core recovered from the semi-arid puna of northern Chile indicate that while climatic drivers influenced vegetation turnaround, human land use and management strategies significantly affected long-term changes. Our results indicate that the puna vegetation mostly dominated by grasslands and some peatland taxa stabilized during the late Holocene, xerophytic shrubs expanded during extremely dry events, and peatland vegetation persisted in relation to landscape-scale management strategies by Andean pastoralist societies. Environmental changes produced during the post-conquest period included the introduction of exotic taxa, such as clovers, associated with the translocation of exotic herding animals (sheep, cattle, and donkeys) and a deterioration in the management of highland wetlands.

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Local Management of Andean Wetlands in Sajama National Park, Bolivia

Cited by 20 publications

References 12 publications

Mapping and spatial characterization of Argentine High Andean peatbogs

Mapping and spatial characterization of Argentine High Andean peatbogs

A Multiscale Productivity Assessment of High Andean Peatlands across the Chilean Altiplano Using 31 Years of Landsat Imagery

Two Thousand Years of Land-Use and Vegetation Evolution in the Andean Highlands of Northern Chile Inferred from Pollen and Charcoal Analyses

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