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Through invasive exotic species control, post-fire landscapes are restored in Quillón and Ránquil

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With the goal of recovering ecosystems affected by wildfires and halting the expansion of invasive exotic species, community landscape restoration activities were carried out during May, June, and July in the communes of Quillón and Ránquil, in the Ñuble Region.

The efforts focused on removing unwanted species, waste management, and planting native species across a total area of approximately 7.5 hectares, as part of a comprehensive landscape restoration strategy.

The activities took place in the Cayumanqui pilot site of the GEF Landscape Restoration Project (MMA-Conaf-FAO) and included interventions in five properties located in the sectors of Santa Gertrudis, Capilla de Queime, Santa Ana de Caimaco, San Ramón, and Puente Siete.

The gatherings brought together over 70 people, and alongside controlling unwanted species such as pine, gorse, black locust, and blackberry, the planting of more than 250 native trees and shrubs was also carried out, including corcolenes, huinganes, quillayes, peumos, hawthorns, culenes, corontillos, rushes, and litres.

"These community activities represent a key tool for the recovery of landscapes affected by the 2023 wildfires. Controlling invasive exotic species not only helps stop their expansion but also creates the necessary conditions for our native species to regenerate naturally. We have seen positive results applying this strategy, so promoting early and coordinated control is key to advancing the effective restoration of our ecosystems," emphasized Mario Rivas, Ñuble's Regional Minister of the Environment.

The national coordinator of the GEF project, Andrea Cabezas, stated that "invasive exotic species represent one of the main threats to landscape health, and their expansion has caused a drastic loss of native biodiversity, in addition to increasing the risk of high-severity wildfires. Through collaborative work, we aim to restore landscapes and strengthen the resilience of territories against climate change."

The GEF Landscape Restoration Project is implemented by the Ministry of the Environment and Conaf, with technical support from FAO and funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Source:La Tribuna