Key Threats: Chile

© Andre Silva

Threats to Biodiversity

• Santiago and medium-sized cities along Chile’s coast are experiencing population booms, with over 87% of the population now living in urban areas. Poor urban planning and the lack of environmental regulations and enforcement have resulted in increasing urban sprawl (Pauchard et al 2006; Romero and Ordenes 2004).
• Increased development is causing irreversible damage to fragile dune, cliff and marine terrace ecosystems in the coastal region from La Serena to San Antonio. Developments have been fueled by national and international tourism, a liberal economy attracting private investment, and an increasing demand for second homes (Paskoff and Manriquez 1999).

• Plantations of non-native Monterey pine and Eucalyptus have been encouraged by government subsidies since 1974. Large-scale plantations now occupy more than 20% of some administrative regions in Chile (Aronson et al 1998).
• Native woodlands and espinal savanna with abundant underground water are particularly vulnerable to conversion for vineyard cultivation. Chile is now the tenth largest wine producer in the world (Rundel 1998, Fuentes et al. 1989; Benavente 2004).

Energy Production & Mining

• Some areas of coastal Chile are heavily impacted by copper mining and iron ore production, which causes particulate pollution, sparse vegetation, and heavily eroded soils (Ginocchio 2000).

• Unlike the four other regions, fire from natural causes is not considered a major disturbance in Chile. However, the number of human-related fires from transportation, agriculture, and recreation has increased hugely in recent years (Mooney 1977; Montenegro et al 2004).

• The savannas of central Chile are dominated by invasive annual grasses and forbs, which account for 72% of the invasive plants in Chile. Invasions are facilitated by heavy livestock grazing and road and gas-pipeline arteries associated with economic expansion (Arroyo et al 2000; Holmgren 2000).

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