Caracterización de viveros de plantas nativas y su posible aporte a la restauración de los talares bonaerenses

Abstract

The talares represent the main native forest of the Buenos Aires province; however, they are in danger. Given their extreme vulnerability, it is not only necessary to promote their conservation, but also their restoration. The native plant nurseries represent a key link in restoration projects. In this work, the first survey of native plant nurseries in the distribution area of talares of Buenos Aires was carried out to characterize and evaluate them as possible restoration nodes. During 2019, surveys to these nurseries were carried out either in person or online. More than 70% of the nurseries were concentrated in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area and their objectives comprise commercialization, conservation/restoration or education. More than 60% of the nurseries were less than 5 years old and less than 500 m2 in size, and they do not control humidity, temperature and/or light; however, they have greenhouses. These characteristics seem to reflect an increase in society’s interest on native plants in recent years, which would have led to the development of new nurseries at small scale. The main plant species of the talares were cultivated in these nurseries, so they could be very important actors when planning restoration projects of these forests. We emphasize the importance of consolidating a network of collaboration between nurseries, scientists, protected areas, and government agencies in order to restore this ecosystem. In this way, it is necessary to expand the scope of this study in order to know the native plant nurseries in the rest of the country, associated with other endangered ecosystems, and to be able to evaluate if Argentina is in a position to meet its internal goals and international restoration commitments. We hope that the results of this work will promote joint collaborations to restore the talares of Buenos Aires and other ecosystems in Argentina.