Forested habitat preferences by Chilean citizens: Implications for biodiversity conservation in Pinus radiata plantations

Abstract

The need for conservation outside protected areas has prompted the modifi cation of productive practices to allow the maintenance of wild biota in productive landscapes such as those associated to timber production. Forest plantations could cooperate in conserving biodiversity outside protected areas if they have a developed understory. However, the success of the production changes depends on the social support they receive. Therefore, we evaluate Chilean citizens' preference for fi ve habitats of different types of forest management. In addition, we assessed perceptions regarding the relationship between pine plantations and native wildlife through surveys administered in Chillán, Santiago and six rural localities in the VII and VIII region. Despite there is not a unanimous opinion regarding pine plantations as a threat to biodiversity, people prefer pine plantations that serve as habitat for endangered fauna. In fact, they agree on paying more for forest products to contribute to conservation in forest plantations, and actually prefer plantations with a developed understory better than those without it. This would suggest that measures aimed at conservation in forest plantations could be supported by the Chilean society.Key words: Chile, habitat evaluation, pine plantations, understory. RESUMENLa necesidad de la conservación fuera de áreas protegidas ha llevado a la modifi cación de las prácticas productivas para permitir el mantenimiento de la biota silvestre en paisajes productivos tales como los asociados a la producción de madera. Las plantaciones forestales podrían cooperar en la conser vación de la biodiversidad fuera de áreas protegidas si tienen un sotobosque desarrollado. Sin embargo, el éxito de los cambios en la producción depende del apoyo social que estos reciben. Así, evaluamos la preferencia por cinco paisajes con diferentes tipos de manejo forestal. Además, se evaluó la percepción acerca de la relación entre las plantaciones de pino y la fauna nativa a través de encuestas realizadas en Chillán, Santiago y seis localidades rurales de la VII y VIII Región. Pese a no haber una opinión pública unánime respecto a considerar las plantaciones de pino como una amenaza a la biodiversidad, las personas en general prefi eren las plantaciones de pino que sirven de hábitat para la fauna en peligro de extinción. De hecho, están de acuerdo en pagar más por productos forestales que contribuyan a la conservación en plantaciones forestales, prefi riendo especialmente plantaciones forestales con un sotobosque desarrollado. Estos resultados sugieren que las medidas destinadas a la conservación en las plantaciones forestales podrían ser apoyadas por la sociedad chilena.Palabras clave: Chile, evaluación de hábitat, plantaciones de pino, sotobosque.

Providing Habitat for Native Mammals through Understory Enhancement in Forestry Plantations

“…Consumers are willing to pay premium prices for forest products coming from biodiversity‐friendly plantations. Furthermore, plantations with dense undergrowth have a higher aesthetic value than and are preferred over plantations without understory (Püschel‐Hoeneisen & Simonetti ). These public preferences suggest that despite the possible costs of leaving understory, consumers are willing to support conserving biodiversity in plantations.…”

Shifting Gears for the Use of the Shifting Baseline Syndrome in Ecological Restoration

“…For example, in Chile, pine exotic plantations (e.g., Pinus radiata) are now an important exotic and novel land cover for pulp production [47,48], representing aproximately 1.5 millions hectares [47]. Despite the availability of information about past environmental baselines (biological data) [49], there is no consensus among Chilean citizens regarding pine plantations as a threat to biodiversity (social data) in case restoration from exotic plantation to native forests ought to be carried out [50]. The challenge is to accomplish both the restoration objectives emerging from biological data as well as people's expectations (social data) about what is the adequate baseline if we want to restore native forests from exotic plantations.…”

More Trees, More Poverty? The Socioeconomic Effects of Tree Plantations in Chile, 2001–2011

“…Another apparent benefit stemming from tree plantations is that their products are broadly appreciated by the urban population in Chile. One study suggests that conservation-oriented urban consumers in Chile prefer products coming from industrial plantations rather than natural forests as long as biodiversity-friendly management practices are applied (Püschel-Hoeneisen and Simonetti, 2012 ). Most recently, a study commissioned by CONAF suggests that in some regions (e.g., Maule), tree plantation expansion is not linked to rising poverty (Nazif 2014 ).…”

“…Partly as a consequence, a strand of academic and civil society opinion holds that ‘industrial plantation forestry’ cannot meet both environmental and social sustainability goals. An active debate about these and other perspectives is currently ongoing in the literature (e.g., Vihervaara et al 2012 ; Paruelo 2012 ; Püschel-Hoeneisen and Simonetti 2012 ). In particular, social scientists have raised concerns about land grabs, displacement of local populations, and poor worker conditions (Gerber 2011 ), while conservationists are concerned about the expansion of so-called ‘green deserts’ of monoculture plantations with associated low levels of biodiversity (Bremer and Farley 2010 ).…”