First flowering - Torres del Paine National Park

A scientific determined that it is already possible to observe some evidence of vegetation recovery in over 2,000 hectares of the park corresponding to the zone that was affected by last summer’s fire.

The researcher Erwin Domínguez Díaz, master’s degree in botany of the Center for Quaternary Studies (Cequa), traveled and analyzed for over 7 days a total surface amounting to 2,500 hectares lodging “neneo” shrub (Mulinum spinosum), the specie that was affected by the fire and which is already showing signs of excellent recovery.

This early visit to Torres del Paine National Park was aimed at monitoring, allowing to record the first flowering pulse, which usually starts in Paine before than in the rest of the region.

Thus, a record may be obtained of the first post-fire plants (native or exotic) that have arrived to colonize the site, many of which are known as annual plants for their short life cycle, that produce a large number of seeds within a very reduced period of time and are, therefore, the first species in arriving to altered areas.

Currently, 55% of floristic composition is comprised by annual invading exotic species and 15% is comprised by perennial species and this is the dominant species in the area affected by the fire.

Native species

In a preliminary conclusion, Domínguez determined that native species represent 20% of this growth only and that there is no natural regeneration of Junellia tridens shrub, which before the fire formed an important community inside the park in the sector of Laguna Amarga.

A different situation occurs with the aforementioned “neneo” shrub that shows an excellent natural regeneration due to two factors: first, fire did not alter roots and this has allowed sprout; and second, natural conditions allow reestablishment in fired zones because of the presence of seedling.

According to Erwin Domínguez opinion, compilation and analysis of these species will be very important as it will allow to evaluate changes generated by fire of native and exotic plants of a shrub community with conservation problems and which was only represented in Chile in the TDP National Park.

March 2006