Fires in the South American Chaco, from dry forests to wetlands: response to climate depends on land cover

IF 3.6 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY Fire Ecology Pub Date : 2023-10-02 DOI:10.1186/s42408-023-00212-4
Rodrigo San Martín, Catherine Ottlé, Anna Sörensson
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Abstract

Abstract Background Wildfires represent an important element in the bio-geophysical cycles of various ecosystems across the globe and are particularly related to land transformation in tropical and subtropical regions. In this study, we analyzed the links between fires, land use (LU), and meteorological variables in the South American Chaco (1.1 million km 2 ), a global deforestation hotspot and fire-exposed region that has recently attracted greater attention as the largest and one of the last tropical dry forests in the world. Results We found that the Dry Chaco (73% of the total area of Chaco) exhibits a unimodal fire seasonality (winter-spring), and the Wet Chaco (the remaining 23%) displays a bimodal seasonality (summer-autumn and winter-spring). While most of the burnt area (BA) was found in the Wet Chaco (113,859 km 2 ; 55% of the entire BA), the Dry Chaco showed the largest fraction of forest loss (93,261 km 2 ; 88% of the entire forest loss). Between 2001 and 2019, 26% of the entire Chaco’s forest loss occurred in areas with BA detections, and this percentage varies regionally and across countries, revealing potential connections to LU and policy. Argentina lost 51,409 km 2 of its Chaco tree cover, surpassing the forest losses of Paraguay and Bolivia, and 40% of this loss was related to fire detections. The effect of meteorological fluctuations on fuel production and flammability varies with land cover (LC), which emerged as the principal factor behind BA. While wet areas covered with herbaceous vegetation showed negative correlations between BA and precipitation, some dry regions below 800 mm/year, and mostly covered by shrublands, showed positive correlations. These results reveal the two different roles of precipitation in (a) moisture content and flammability and (b) production of biomass fuel. Conclusions As fires and deforestation keep expanding in the South American Chaco, our study represents a step forward to understanding their drivers and effects. BA is dependent on LC types, which explains the discrepancies in fire frequency and seasonality between the Wet and Dry Chaco subregions. The links between fires and deforestation also vary between regions and between countries, exposing the role of anthropic forcing, land management, and policy. To better understand the interactions between these drivers, further studies at regional scale combining environmental sciences with social sciences are needed. Such research should help policy makers take action to preserve and protect the remaining forests and wetlands of the Chaco.
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南美查科的火灾,从干燥的森林到湿地:对气候的反应取决于土地覆盖
野火是全球各种生态系统生物地球物理循环的重要组成部分,尤其与热带和亚热带地区的土地转化有关。在这项研究中,我们分析了南美洲查科(110万平方公里)的火灾、土地利用(LU)和气象变量之间的联系,查科是全球森林砍伐热点和火灾暴露地区,最近作为世界上最大和最后的热带干燥森林之一而引起了更大的关注。结果查科干区(占查科总面积的73%)表现为单峰性(冬春),湿区(占查科总面积的23%)表现为双峰性(夏秋和冬春)。而大部分燃烧面积(BA)发现在湿查科(113,859 km 2;占整个BA的55%),干查科的森林损失比例最大(93,261 km2;整个森林损失的88%)。2001年至2019年期间,查科整个森林损失的26%发生在发现BA的地区,这一比例因地区和国家而异,揭示了与LU和政策的潜在联系。阿根廷损失了51,409平方公里的查科树木覆盖面积,超过了巴拉圭和玻利维亚的森林损失,其中40%的损失与火灾探测有关。气象波动对燃料产量和可燃性的影响随土地覆盖(LC)的变化而变化,这是BA背后的主要因素。草本植被覆盖的湿润地区BA与降水呈负相关,而在800mm /年以下以灌丛为主的干旱地区BA与降水呈正相关。这些结果揭示了降水在(a)含水量和可燃性以及(b)生物质燃料生产中的两种不同作用。随着南美查科地区的火灾和森林砍伐不断扩大,我们的研究代表了了解其驱动因素和影响的一步。BA依赖于LC类型,这解释了干湿查科分区之间火灾频率和季节性的差异。火灾和森林砍伐之间的联系也因地区和国家而异,暴露了人为强迫、土地管理和政策的作用。为了更好地理解这些驱动因素之间的相互作用,需要进一步在区域尺度上进行环境科学与社会科学相结合的研究。这样的研究应该有助于决策者采取行动来保存和保护查科剩余的森林和湿地。
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来源期刊
Fire Ecology
Fire Ecology ECOLOGY-FORESTRY
CiteScore
6.20
自引率
7.80%
发文量
24
审稿时长
20 weeks
期刊介绍: Fire Ecology is the international scientific journal supported by the Association for Fire Ecology. Fire Ecology publishes peer-reviewed articles on all ecological and management aspects relating to wildland fire. We welcome submissions on topics that include a broad range of research on the ecological relationships of fire to its environment, including, but not limited to: Ecology (physical and biological fire effects, fire regimes, etc.) Social science (geography, sociology, anthropology, etc.) Fuel Fire science and modeling Planning and risk management Law and policy Fire management Inter- or cross-disciplinary fire-related topics Technology transfer products.
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