The SMI-ICE-Chile researcher co-authored the article «Impacts of land use change on an urban watershed,» recently published by the Centre for Water Resources for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM in Spanish) at Universidad de Concepción.
This article is part of the interdisciplinary Communications Series that CRHIAM publishes regularly to disseminate scientific evidence on water resource management and reach public and private decision makers and the community in general.
Dilan Campos is a geologist from Universidad de Concepción and a member of the Environmental Rehabilitation and Ecosystem Dynamics team at SMI-ICE-Chile. Given his interest in topics such as hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry and environmental geology, in the last two years he has collaborated on different publications by CRHIAM, a research centre led by Universidad de Concepción, which participates as a co-executer for the ANID grant provided to SMI-ICE-Chile.
The context of this work is the severe drought that has affected Chile in recent years, a water deficit affecting people, ecosystems and domestic economic development. Agriculture and mining are two of the most important industries in the Chilean economy and both face the challenge of sustainability against this backdrop of water scarcity.
This publication mentions the direct link between the rapid reduction of native forests in Chile and the expansion of commercial forestry, which, according to this article, has generated significant changes in land use in south-central Chile, affecting drinking water catchment and soil properties, and making ecosystems more vulnerable.
The study examines the effect of different land uses on sediment contribution in three sub-basins of the Nonguén watershed, seeking to understand how these changes affect water composition, and analysing the processes of erosion and weathering.
The results reveal a clear relationship between different land uses and erosion and degradation processes in the studied watersheds. Comparison between sub-basins suggests that the proportion of forest plantations versus native forest directly influences the amount of sediment transported and the concentration of trace elements in the water. This highlights the importance of considering different land uses in planning and managing water and environmental resources. The presence of recently deforested areas also indicates the need to regulate and monitor deforestation activities to mitigate their negative impacts on soil and water quality.
The Nonguén watershed is home to Nonguén National Park, a protected area of vital importance for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. In this context, the study highlights the importance of implementing adequate management and conservation measures, including regulating human activities and promoting sustainable practices. » Preserving Nonguén National Park not only helps protect native flora and fauna, but also plays a key role in protecting water quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems in the watershed.»
This publication stems from the dissertation of Ángela Contreras, a geologist from Universidad de Concepción, and is a collaboration by the following authors:
Fernanda Álvarez Amado / Angela Contreras Gatica / Violeta Tolorza / Pamela Castillo Lagos / Camila Navarrete / Dilan Campos Quiroz / José Luis Arumí / Leopoldo Gutiérrez.
