IMPRESSIONS OF THE NATIONAL PARKS SYSTEM IN CHILE

Forest and Bird, Volume 15, Issue 2, 1 May 1984, Page 33

IMPRESSIONS OF THE NATIONAL PARKS SYSTEM IN CHILE

Botany Department, University of Otago

Alan F. Mark

Chile’s National Parks

A seven-month refresher leave from the University of Otago was sufficient to cover the full growing season in the interior of Alaska, as well as two months in South America where, in the southern regions, there are some striking similarities with the landscape, vegetation and flora of New Zealand. Anyone concerned with the need for reservation of an adequately representative range of indigenous ecosystems could not fail to be impressed with the achievements in both Alaska and Chile (unfortunately | cannot comment on Argentina as, along with other New Zealanders, | was classed as persona-non-gratia and denied entry). Legislation as recent as 1980 (Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act) added very substantially to federal reservations in Alaska where 13 National Parks and Reserves now occupy 13.6% of this huge state (1,524,671km7") while 16 National Wildlife Reserves account for another 20.3% of the state’s area. These two categories together, provide an area almost twice the size of New Zealand that has been set aside by statute for its national heritage values. But that is another story and one that has received considerable publicity to date in conservation circles.

More surprising to me was the large number and extent of national parks in the Republic of Chile which generally has received scant publicity here. Not only is the number and total area of national parks in Chile most impressive but the degree to which they represent the natural landscapes and ecological diversity of the

country provides, | believe, an important lesson for us in New Zealand by highlighting probably the major deficiency in the national park and reserve system. Acountry about three times the population, the area (756,946km? vs 269,060km?), and the length of New Zealand, Chile extends from tropical

coastal desert at 17 °20’S latitude to subantarctic forests, shrublands and moorlands at 56 °S, with the high cordillera of the Andes running the full length and its crest forming the country’s eastern border. Chile contains 48 national parks (see map) compared with our 10. The Chilean parque nacionales range widely in size; from less than 100ha to 1,761,000ha with 20 being less than 10,000ha, a size that is generally considered minimal for national parks in New Zealand. Two of the Chilean parque nacionales exceed the 1,212,000ha of Fiordland National Park — Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael (1,350,123ha) and Parque Nacional Bernardo O’ Higgins (1,761,000ha). The Chilean national parks cover some 9.4% of the country’s total land area compared with 8.1% for New Zealand, but, more important perhaps than this feature, is the degree to which they

represent the range of natural ecosystems. The undoubtedly high tourist potential of the country, particularly the lakes district, seems to be barely tapped or promoted, despite modern, efficient and relatively cheap surface transport systems. Although only eight of the 48 Chilean national parks were actually visited, a broad vegetation map of Chile, considered in conjunction with the location of each park, gives a reasonable indication of the main ecosystems they contain. This will be briefly considered in sequence from north to south. In the far north of the country, north of latitude 20 °S and extending to the crest of the Andes at over 5,000m elevation, along the border with Bolivia, are two large national parks in the high desert grassland of the puna where the endangered camelid, the vicuna, highly prized throughout the world for its dense silky fleece of the finest wool known, has been provided with a refuge and is now increasing in numbers. One of these parks is named after its prominent volcano, Isluga, which is generally similar to those seen from the ferrocarril (railway) as it climbs to the crest of the Andes in the vicinity of San Pedro between Antofagasta on the Chilean desert coast and La Paz, the capital of Bolivia at 3,600m. At latitude 27 °S and some 3,200km west of the Chilean mainland in the South Pacific Ocean, the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) contains a 7,800ha national park (Parque Nacional Rapa Nui), to preserve many of the 300 or so remarkable giant stone statues of mysterious origin, that abound here. Four national parks (Parque Nacional Pichasca, Parque Nacional FrayJorge-Pta Del Viento, Parque Nacional Valle del Encanto and Parque Nacional Talinay) are located towards the southern end of the

Atacama Desert at about latitude 30°S and, somewhat further south, in the zone of mediterranean-type dry shrubland, are two small- and two moderate-sized national parks of 6000-15,000 ha, one of which, Parque Nacional La Campana, about 40km northeast of the main port of Valparaiso, was visited. Notable here is the northernmost stand of beech in South America — the evergreen N. dombeyi, but more widespread is the dry shrubland in which thorny cactus and Puya (P. chilensis a colourful put spiny member of the pineapple family) are prominent. Here the cacti were parasitised by colourful mistletoes. Some 700km east of Valparaiso at latitude 34 °S, two islands of the Juan Fernandez group (Isla Alexandro Selkirk and Isla Robinson Crusoe) constitute the 18,300ha Parque Nacional Juan Fernandez in recognition of the island’s unique

biological features, particularly some of the Curious woody members of the rain and cloud forests. In the Araucaria (monkey puzzle) forest zone that intervenes for some 300km between the dry shrubland of the north and the Valdivian temperate beech Nothofagus temperate rain forest zone to the south there are nine national parks (See Map) that preserve a range of natural features but particularly thermal springs, active volcanoes and the Araucaria forest itself. The only park visited in this region, the 654,375ha Parque Nacional Villarrica, contains impressive examples of these features. The frequently active Volcan Villarrica (2,840m), with its extensive stands of mixed beech — Araucaria forest on the upper flanks, is within easy walking distance from the congenial thermal resort hotel of Termas de Palguin, located near the road end at 680m on the volcano’s eastern slope and conveniently reached by colectivo (taxi) from the delightful resort town of Pucon some 30km away. The region of active vulcanism extends some distance southwards of the Araucaria forest zone into the zone of Valdivian beech forest that is characterised by the presence of bamboo (Chusquea spp.) in the understorey. The usually dense layer of bamboo often retards or delays regeneration of the beech species in these forests. One of the volcanoes, Volcan Osorno (2,660m) on the western margin of the extensive Parque Nacional Puyehue (134,125ha), is of particular interest as its most recent eruption was recorded by Charles Darwin who witnessed it from the ‘‘Beagle’’ when it was anchored in the harbour of Puerto Montt 60km away, in 1843. A rough gravel road gives easy access from the village of Ensenada on the shore of Lago Llanguihue through the zones of beech forest (that contains many

genera shared wiin New Zealand) — Weinmannia, Luzuriaga, Pernettya, Hierochloe, Gunnera), mixed scrub and scoria to permanent snow. The 1843 larva flow with its developing vegetation remains an obvious feature of the mountain. The efficient, regular and economical surface public transport terminates at the southern end of the Pan American highway at Puerto Montt but a partly completed road southwards from here was recently extended through the impressive mountainous region to link nearby Chaiten with Coihaique some 300km further south and now provides public access through the transition to the true Chilean beech forests that lack bamboo and so are much more strongly reminiscent of those in New Zealand, as in the vicinity of Parque Nacional Lago Rosselot. From Coihaique, capital of Chile’s XI Region, there is a long established road access 65km to the coast at Puerto Aisen and on to the port of Chacabuco through some of the impressive canyons of Parque Nacional Rio Simpson (41,160ha). Here large areas are still recovering from widespread fires lit to clear land in the 1930’s — the landscape in places here is strongly reminiscent of South Westland. At the nearby sea terminal of Puerto Chacabuco there is a small national park the 221ha Parque Nacional Puerto Chacabuco, of mostly beech forest that rises from part of the harbour shore. One of the largest and best known national parks in Chile is Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael (1,350,123ha) at 47 °S. notable for its massive tidewater glacier but accessible only via expensive luxury cruisers from Puerto Montt or by a chartered float-plane. Chile’s largest national park, Parque Nacional Bernardo O'Higgins (1,761,000ha), named after the famous Irish liberator, occupies one of the most impressive mountainous sections of the generally inaccessible southern Andes and contains the famous peaks of Monte Fitzroy (3,375m) and Cerro Pyramide (3,382m). This park is contiguous to the south with one of Chile’s newest and most interesting national parks, Parque Nacional

Torres del Paine (162,000ha) that was created in 1975 by the disestablishment of a large estancia or grazing run in order to preserve both a series of impressive granite spires or tors, the Paine Towers (that unfortunately were concealed in cloud during a one-day visit to the park) but also a viable herd of the declining southern camelid, the Guanco. Being located in the rain shadow of the main Andean chain, this relatively dry region contains some typical

Patagonian steppe with a cover of tussock grassland (mostly of Festuca spp.) shrubland (mainly the daisy shrub Baccharis) and thorny cushions of Mulinum, in which several Rheas were seen. Although none of the three national parks south of here (51 °S) was visited the largest two (Parque Nacional Hernando de Magellanes and Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini; both about 800,000 ha) were seen from the air while the southernmost beech forests, moorlands and alpine vegetation that they contain are, from all accounts, similar to what was seen in day trips from Punta Arenas on the Magellan Strait and in a few days of exceptionally fine weather from the Chilean naval base on Navarino Island, on the south side of the Beagle Channel at 55°S, less than 100km from Cape Horn. Comparisons with New Zealand Hopefully, this brief account will serve to emphasise that New Zealand is not alone in having nearly 10 per cent of its land area set aside as national parks. The Republic of Chile, however, has clearly achieved a much better representation of its natural landscapes and ecosystems than we have in New Zealand where the emphasis to date has been on areas of spectacular scenery in generally unproductive mountainous country. While the total number of national parks in Chile (48) far exceeds the ten in New Zealand the differential in area devoted to parks between the two countries is also considerable. It should be noted, however, that almost half (21) of the Chilean national parks, being less than 10,000ha in area, would not qualify for this category here. Rather such areas would be designated some form of reserve. While the real extent of national parks in Chile is impressive by New Zealand

standards their management appeared to be restricted to the provision of a limited system of walking tracks and associated signs, some of excellent quality. There was virtually no interpretation for the visiting public and indeed, very few park staff to be seen. The important lesson for New Zealand lies, | believe, in the representativeness of the Chilean national park system, an aspect which hopefully New Zealand will redress in terms of the revised National Parks Act (1980) and the Current activity of the Protected Natural Areas Programme.

Acknowledgements lam most grateful for the guidance and transport provided by Dr Mary Kalin Arroyo, University of Chile, Santiago, Dr Fedrico Schlegel S., University of Southern Chile, Valdivia, and Dr Edmundo Pissano of the Patagonian Institute, Punta Arenas, together with the helpful advice of Dr Ross McQueen, Victoria University, Wellington, and particularly the congenial company of Geoff Baylis, Dunedin through much of the Chilean section of the tour. Mrs J. Clough of the Zoology Department, University of Otago, kindly drew the map.

Note: information on only 45 of the 48 parks is available. Values for the ten New Zealand National Parks are given for comparison. Area(ha) 100 1,000 5,000 10,000 50,000 100,000 500,000 1,000,000 >1,000,000 Chile 5 5 6 5 12 2 25 3 2 N.Z. 0 0 0 0 2 4 3 0 1

Table 1 Number of Chilean National Parks in nine size categories.