(Díaz & Polania 2017) Conservación y potencial de restauración de robledales (SER 2017)

Conservation and Potential Restoration of Oak Forests and their Environmental Services in Natural Reserves of Civil Society in Zapatoca (Santander, Colombia) Conservación y potencial de restauración de robledales y sus servicios ambientales en reservas naturales de la sociedad civil de Zapatoca (Santander, Colombia)

Mónica Diaz & Jaime Polanía

Ecosystemical services of oaks

*

Cultural services

Regulation services

Recreation and ecotourism

● Hydrological regulation

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Scientific activities

● Prevention of erosion

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Environmental education

● Carbon

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Support services

sequestration

Particularly, the oak forests under study provide habitat and food to important species such as the Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the Wax Palm Ceroxylon quindiuense and Leopardus trigrinus.

SCOPE

For this reason we evaluated basic oak forest parameters, and we proposed basic active restoration in degraded areas of a natural reserve of civil society, Zapatoca (Santander, Colombia)

Study area

*Natural Reserve of the Civil Society La Montaña Mágica- El Poleo  The study area is located in the Zapatoca municipality, north of the eastern range of the Colombian Andes.*  It has a total extension of 85 ha, of which twenty-four percent are oak forests and the rest are areas that suffered severe degradation by agricultural and livestock activities for more than 5 decades.

Methodology

Reference forest

Monitoring plot

Regeneration Degraded areas

ď ą Plots were established in the oak forest and open areas, measuring diameter at breast height and regeneration of seedlings.

Results

Diametric structure in forest and pasture plots-after 7 years of passive restoration

Species of trees found Forest Myrcia sp.

Palicourea angustifolia Piper sp.

Miconia sp.

Ceroxylon quindiuense Clusia sp.

Quercus humboldtii Pastures (Open areas) Calycolpus moritzianus Croton palanostigma

Results

Regeneration in forest and pastures

ď ą The number of regeneration individuals is much lower than that of the oak forest. ď ą Only two species are established in open areas and do not correspond to those present in the oak forest.

Results Passive restoration

Two years after and the mortality rate of regeneration of the trees for the pastures was 90%.

The areas with greater degradation only Pteridium aquilinum could establish

Active restoration •

Implement a restoration strategy to accelerate and facilitate the establishment of the species found in the nearby forest.

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A pilot test was conducted by planting stakes of native tree

species ~ 2 m length •

With characteristics for restoration (Rapid growth, nitrogen

fixation and striking fruits for wildlife)

(Zahawi 2005, 2008, Zahawi and Holl 2009)

The planted species were..

Ficus crocata

Trichanthera gigantea

Coussapoa sp.

Escallonia pendula

Preliminary Results Active restoration Percentage of stakes sprouting

Trichanthera Gigantea

Mean number of sprouts

Ficus crocata

After Six months

Conclusions •

We can conclude that it is important to support the communities of natural reserves of civil society in the conservation and restoration of oak forests, as they provide important ecosystem services for the region.

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In addition, strategies such as propagation by large cuttings have the potential to create microenvironments that facilitate establishment new species in degraded areas from oak forests.

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We hope to continue monitoring to verify the arrival of oak species

We thank.

• Family Díaz – Rueda. RNSC “La Montaña Mágica-El Poleo” • Members of research group in conservation and restoration of UNALMED ecosystems.

• Zahawi For his advice.

Thank you!

Questions to mail: mmdiazp@unal.educo