Pine trees, exotic willow and rose hips: the challenge of Parque Lanín to restore the native forest

It all starts with a reckless human decision, without considering consequences, and then comes a chain reaction. Foreign species adapt, expand, modify the landscape and advance against biodiversity. The magnitude of the invasion of exotic flora throughout Lanín Park is immense, emphasized the representative of the Department of Conservation and Management, Hernán Attis Beltrán. Given this scenario, a project was launched to eradicate conifers, exotic willow and rose hips within the protected areas. The forestry engineer and doctor in Biology leads the plan for the Prevention, Control and Monitoring of Invasive Exotic Woody Flora in the Lanín National Park, already approved by the Northern Patagonia Regional Directorate. This gives formality to the project, a certain degree of budget and a framework that allows it to be linked with other institutions, he stated. The initiative proposes to develop a stable institutional capacity to prevent, detect, prioritize, intervene and evaluate results in one of the most complex degradation processes in Neuquén. They optimize resources to stop the advance of invasive woody flora in Neuquén________________________________________Attis Beltrán explained that, as it is a problem that also affects the Nahuel Huapi National Park, they will work together. “Invasive plants do not take jurisdictional limits into account,” he warned. The plan includes technicians from different departments, park rangers, environmental education and communication teams, as well as researchers, NGOs and external scientific institutions. The initiative proposes to develop a stable institutional capacity to prevent, detect, prioritize, intervene and evaluate results in one of the most complex degradation processes in Neuquén. They optimize resources to stop the advance of invasive woody flora in Neuquén________________________________________Attis Beltrán explained that, as it is a problem that also affects the Nahuel Huapi National Park, They will work together. Invasive plants do not take jurisdictional boundaries into account, he warned. The plan includes technicians from different departments, park rangers, environmental education and communication teams, as well as researchers, NGOs and external scientific institutions. As the resources are very finite and the possibilities to intervene are very limited, to execute the project they rely on a matrix of cases. This scheme allows us to decide where to act first, on what sources and with what objectives. We need, on the one hand, to reduce the possibility of new invasions and, on the other, to be as efficient and effective as possible when intervening, said the engineer. The priority points to sites of high conservation value and invasions in the initial stages, where control remains more viable and less costly.