Temperate forests at southern South America: Challenges for management and conservation to face climate change

Abstract

Climate change influences forest dynamics and model the landscape in the temperate southern forests of Patagonia. Extreme climate phenomena (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode) generate synergies that modify forest functionality and regeneration processes. It is possible to quantify these changes with available tools (e.g., remote sensing-based models) and their interaction with socioeconomic factors. We need to rethink about the current forestry practices, which must be adapted to face climate change. Here, we discuss and make recommendations for new management and conservation strategies that must be designed specifically for each region and based on long-term monitoring programs. The proposals must be designed considering the new paradigms, analyzing the change trends and relationships with climate using new tools. It is necessary that climate change, as a compendium of factors, must be incorporated in the planning for management and conservation of native temperate forests in Argentina.