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LaCampana,anewnationalparkincentralChile

ArticleinBiologicalConservation·July1975

ImpactFactor:3.76·DOI:10.1016/0006-3207(75)90077-4

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L A C A M P A N A , A N E W N A T I O N A L P A R K I N C E N T R A L C H I L E

PHILIP W. RUNDEL* & PABLO J. WEISSERt

Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

ABSTRACT

La Campana, a new Chilean national park, includes examples of all the major biotic communities of central Chile: Nothofagus forest, hygrophilous forest, sclerophyll forest, matorral, bamboo thicket, succulent scrub, high altitude communities, and palm forest. Although the exact boundaries have yet to be determined, the park includes approximately 15,000 ha, and lies less than 75 km from both Santiago and Valparaiso." The unique natural features of the park are discussed and the current movement to support its development are described.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most interesting ecological areas in central Chile lies in the Cordillera de la Costa, less than 75 km from both Santiago and Valparaiso. Within a triangular area roughly bounded by Campanita (1510 m), La Campana (1910 m), and El Roble (2220 m) (Fig. 1), and the Palm Valley of Ocoa, a total area of nearly 15,000 ha, occurs a microcosm of almost all the significant ecological communities of the Mediterranean zone of central Chile (Fig. 2). Although nearly one third of the entire population of Chile lives within a 90 min drive of this area, it has remained remarkably undisturbed. This article describes the unique natural features of this area and the current movement to support one of Chile's newest national parks, La Campana.

Charles Darwin visited La Campana in August 1835. In The Voyage of the Beagle he described his experiences of climbing the peak:

* Present Address: Department of Population and Environmental Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.

t Present Address: Botanical Research Institute, Private Bag XI01, Pretoria, South Africa. 35

BioL Conserv. (8) (1975)--© Applied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1975 Printed in Great Britain

36 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

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Fig. 1. Map of La Campana Park, showing the location and the main physiographic features, for example the Campanita, La Campana and El Roble mountains and the Ocoa valley. The

limits are still provisional.

Fig. 2. The coastal mountain range formed by Carnpanita (left), La Campana (middle) and E1 R.oble (right) in a view from the road between Penablanca and Limache, on the southwest edge of the park. In the foreground are badly disturbed areas with isolated groups of sclcrophyll trees and second growth savanna dominated by A c a c i a caven. The boundary of the La Campana

National Park passes at the foot of the mountains.

LA CAMPANA NATIONAL PARK, CHILE 37

' . . . in the morning we set out to ascend the Campana or Bell Mounta in , which is 6,400 feet high. The paths are very bad, but both the geology and scenery amply repaid the t r o u b l e . . . We spent the day on the summit, and I never enjoyed one more thoroughly. Chile, bounded by the Andes and the Pacific, was seen as in a map. The pleasure

Fig. 3. A giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas gigas) on its nest. The two nestlings are still blind and only a few days old. The nest is approximately 8 cm in diameter.

38 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

from the scenery, in itself beautiful, was heightened by many reflections which arose from the mere view of the Campana range . . . . ' ~oday, Andean condors (Vultur gryphos) still frequent the summits of La

Catnpana where Darwin stood, riding warm air currents across the central valley from their nests in the Cordillera of the Andes. Pumas (Felis concolor L.) eliminated from much of Chile by man, exist only a few km to the south. Patagona gigas gigas (Vieillot) (Fig. 3), the world's largest hummingbird, nests in the area. Even more striking than the animal life alone, however, is the diversity of biotic communities contained within this small area. These include eight major community types, eao h of unusual interest: Nothofagus forest, hygrophilous forest, sclerophyll forest, sclerophyll matorral, bamboo thicket, succulent scrub, high altitude vegetation, and palm forest. These communities are described briefly in the text. More details of these communities have been published (Reiche, 1970; Schmithiisen, 1954, 1956; Oberdorfer, 1960; Hermosilla, 1962; Schlegel, 1966). Vertebrates of the La Campana are described in a variety of references: mammals (Shamberger, in press); birds (Johnson, 1965-1967); reptiles (Donoso-Barros, 1966), and amphibians (Cei, 1962).

The climate of central Chile is of the Mediterranean type and closely parallels that of southern California, with a six-month offset. Summer conditions are warm and dry. Mean temperatures for December-February are 18°C, and a mean of only 30 mm of precipitation falls from November to April. Winters are mild and moist. The mean winter temperature (June-August) is l l°C. A mean of about 85 ~o of the total seasonal precipitation falls from May to August. The mean annual precipitation at Quillota near the national park is 424 mm (Cunill, 1970). Within the park itself, climatic conditions become cooler and wetter with increasing elevation. Snow falls most years on the summits of La Campana and Cerro Roble. On the seaward slopes of the mountains, fogs are relatively frequent.

PLANT COMMUNITIES

Nothofagus forest Perhaps the most unique biotic community of La Campana National Park is the Nothofagus forest. The roble (Nothofagus obliqua var. macrocarpa*) is characteristic of southern Chile, but probably extended widely into the central part of the, country during the Pleistocene. Today, however, only a few relict stands of this forest remain in central Chile. Those at high elevation on Campanita, La Campana and El Roble represent the northern limit of distribution of the genus in South America. These forests are best developed on mesic south- and southeast- facing slopes and occur in continuous or scattered stands on these three mountains,

* Taxonomy of plant species follows that of Muftoz (1966).

LA CAMPANA NATIONAL PARK, CHILE 39

Fig. 4. Winte r view o f Nothofagus obliqua var obliqua on El Roble. These trees are 70-80 cm in d iameter and 15 m in height .

40 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

from nearly 850 m (along streams) to the top of El Roble at 2,220 m. At lower elevation the Nothofagus forest is replaced by the hygrophilous forest along water- courses and by either matorral or bamboo thickets in less mesic situations. Although these forests have been heavily utilised for timber and charcoal in historical times, individuals of N. obliqua on El Roble may reach 70-80 cm dbh and 15 m in height (Fig. 4). Near the top of El Roble, as soils become shallow and rocky and environmental stresses of wind and cold increase, individuals take a krummholz morphology with distinct wind trimming, although bushy growth may sometimes result from resprouting after lumbering.

The dominance of the roble clearly marks the environment of this community. Common woody associates of N. obliqua are Azara dentata (corcol6n), Aristotelia chilensis (maqui), Lomatia obliqua (radal, northern distribution limit) and Ribes punctatum (zarzaparrilla). The seasonal changes in this deciduous forest are striking. Two interesting parasites of southern origin are present in the Nothofagus forests of the La Campana area. Myzodendron linearifolium (injerto), a mistletoe- like hemiparasite, was discovered on El Roble by Looser in 1927. Also abundant is an edible fungus of the genus Cyttaria (dihuefies). This basidiomycete, related to the puff balls, grows only on the branches of Nothofagus. Like the host trees themselves, Cyttaria is a disjunct from southern Chile, occurring here at its northern limit.

Hygrophilous forest Nowhere in central Chile is the hygrophilous forest community better developed

than in the valleys of La Campana above Olmu6. The general aspect of this community is that of closed woods of mixed broad-leaved evergreens, 12 to 15 m in height, with individual trees up to 60 cm dbh. Dominance in this forest is shared by a variety of woody species, notably Drimys winteri (canelo, holy tree of the Araucanian Indians), Crinodendron patagua (patagua), Myrceugenia obtusa (?) (array~in), Dasyphyllum excelsa (.9) (palo sato), Persea lingue (lingue) and the climber Proustia pyrifolia (parriUa blanca). The lingue, an important timber tree in the south of Chile, reaches its northern limit in this community. The species composition of this community shows clear southern affinities (Oberdorfer, 1960).

The approximate southern limit of influence of the coastal fog zone, characterstic of northern Chile, can be seen within the hygrophilous forest. The coastal mountain range in this area acts as a climatic barrier, preventing further penetra- tion of most of the coastal fogs. The effect of this fog zone on La Campana is the production of a belt centred on approximately 400 m elevation, where conditions of high air humidity provide ideal conditions for the growth of cryptogamic epiphytes and even bromeliads. Tillandsia usneoides (barba de monte), the Spanish moss of the southeastern United States, festoons trees in great abundance. Lichen species are also unusually numerous both in species diversity and in biomass.

LA CAMPANA NATIONAL PARK, CHILE 41

Sclerophyll forest Sclerophyll forests dominate south-facing, low to moderate slopes, occupying

less humid habitats than the hygrophilous woods. With less water availability the biomass is smaller and the canopy lower. If undisturbed, the ground vegetation is sparse, possibly due to allelopathic action of the litter of some of the sclerophyU species. Dominant species are Cryptocarya alba (peumo), Beilschmiedia miersii (belloto), Peumus boldus (boldo) and Azara celastrina (lildn). Existing relicts of this vegetation indicate that it once dominated broad areas along the lower slopes of La Campana. Following disturbance a secondary vegetation appears, dominated by Acacia caven (espino), Sophora tetraptera (mayu), Trevoa trinervis (tebo) and Lobelia salicifolia (tupa).

Matorral This xeric shrub community is remarkably similar to the chaparral of Southern

California. Like the chaparral, this community is dominated by low evergreen shrubs, 1 to 2 m height, with small, simple, evergreen leaves (Mooney et al., 1970). The total shrub cover within the matorra| component ranges from 50 to 100 %. Dominant species are Lithraea caustica (litre), Quillaja saponaria (quillay), Kageneckia oblonga (hauyo, boUdn) Escallonia pulverulenta (corontillo), and Maytenus boaria (maiten). With environmental degradation such species as Satureja gilliesi (oreganillo), Lobelia salicifolia, Acacia caven, Coliguaya odorifera (colliguay), Podanthus mitiqui (mitiqui), Trevoa trinervis and the poisonous Cestrum parqui (palqui) become frequent associates.

A matorral community similar in .some aspects to those of La Campana has been described in detail by Schlegel (1966). Descriptions of the dominant species can be found in the Flora de Zapallar by Johow (1945). Although most matorral communities in central Chile have been severely degraded by wood cutting, char- coal burning and overgrazing, some of the least disturbed stands of matorral remain today near La Campana and El Roble.

Bamboo thicket Chusquea cummingii (colihue), a bamboo of tropical origin, is abundant in the

La Campana region, covering extensive areas with nearly impenetrable thickets. Thickets of Chusquea occur with nearly all other community types at La Campana, an indication of the broad ecological amplitude of this species. The Chusquea thickets represent an important management problem in this area because of the great fire hazard.

Succulent scrub Xeric north-facing slopes are characterised by open stands of succulents and

low Xerophytic, spiny shrubs. A similar kind of community can be found on steep

42 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

xeric slopes of any aspect. The species composition varies depending on the altitude and slope. In lower regions Trichocereus chilensis (quisco), an arborescent cactus reaching 2--4 m, is common. Its branches are protected by rows of sharp spines, 5 to 8 (10) em long. Two large terrestrial bromeliads, Puya chilensis (ehagual) and Puya berteroniana, are also important.

The prominence of terrestrial bromeliads in central Chile is interesting. In addition to the two species described above, at least two other species of Puya are endemic to the Mediterranean zone of Chile. One of these, P. violacea, is a restricted endemic, with its centre of occurrence in the La Campana region. Although one terrestrial bromeliad occurs in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, no species have evolved in the Mediterranean zone of California. This ecological niche there is filled by species of Yucca, Nolina and Agave.

High altitude vegetation Above 1600 m on the mountains of the Campana area, low alpine-like vegetation

forms distinct communities on rocky slopes adjacent to Nothofagus forests. These communities are best developed on the summit of El Roble above 2000 m. Dominant species in these communities may be tussock grasses (Stipa and Festuca species) or low shrubs (Valenzuelia trinervis, Mulinum, Schinus montanus, Chuquiraga oppositifolia, and Colliquaya intergerrima).

Palm forest The Chilean palm, Jubaea chilensis, once covered extensive areas of the valleys

and foothills of the Cordillera de la Costa in central Chile. Darwin describes counting several hundred thousand trees on a single estate. Today the Chilean palm is restricted to a narrow belt along the coastal ranges of central Chile from southern Coquimbo Province in the north to Maule Province in the south, a latitudinal range of less than 400 km. It occurs at elevations from near sea level to approximately 1600 m. Nowhere, however, does it reach the Andes. With the exception of the Valley of Ocoa in the park (Fig. 1), the stands of Cocalfin (south of Melipilla) and El Salto (near Vifia del Mar), no large palm stands remain today. The presence of thousands of palms in the Valley of Ocoa, fringing the slopes of the valley, is certainly one of the outstanding features of the Campana area.

The elimination of the vast majority of Chilean palms has resulted from the harvesting of these trees for palm honey (Fig. 5), a sugary sap which they produce in large quantities. Extensive felling of the palms occurred during the 17th and 18th centuries, when they supplied sugar for the entire country. The production of palm honey was described by Darwin and the techniques have changed little up until the present time. The palms are large, often more than a metre in diameter and 15 m in height. The fallen palm stems yield sap continuously over a 7-month period for a total of up to 400 litres. This sap is watery in consistency and must be concentrated to one eighth its original volume. The production of palm honey

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44 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

has continued until recently. Today palm-cutting has been outlawed with the exception of an annual quota of 150 trees. It is intended to prohibit palm-cutting completely.

The production of palm honey has been summarised in a 16 mm eolour film Mittelchile: Gewinnung yon Palmenhonig im Ocoatat (Weisser & Aguilera, 1973), available from Institut ffir den Wissenschaftlichen Film, Gfttingen, Germany. Further data and bibliography on Jubaea chilensis have been provided by Schmit- hiisen (1956), Oberdorfer (1960), Koch (1961) and Rubinstein (1969).

MAN'S INFLUENCE ON LA CAMPANA AREA

Western man's influence on the La Campana area began during the 16th century rule of Charles V, the last Holy Roman Emperor. Following the establishment of Santiago (1541) and Valparaiso (1552), Jesuit influence in central Chile expanded, and gold and copper mines were established in the region of La Campana. On visiting the area in 1835, Darwin remarked that almost every part of the mountain had been drilled in an attempt to find gold. During the 19th century renewed mining pressure came from the discovery of copper deposits on La Campana. Copper mines remain active today, and quartz, feldspar, pyrites, and molybdenum are mined.

The most significant environmental influences of man on the La Campana region have occurred over the past century as populations in the surrounding areas have increased. Severe environmental problems have resulted from agricultural activities, overgrazing, charcoal burning, wood cutting, and palm cutting. Goats, cattle, and sheep are grazed in relatively large numbers throughout the region. In dry years particularly, overgrazing is a serious problem, often associated with extensive erosion. The lack of native tree species for fuel in the Andean cordillera has encouraged extensive degradation of matorral areas by charcoal burners throughout Chile's history. Although this practice has been outlawed in the La Campana region, the illegal activities continue. Similarly, the relict Nothofagus forests on La Campana and El Roble have been heavily lumbered in the past. A secondary problem has also been bark-stripping of quillay (Quillaja saponaria) for saponin, a steroid compound used to form emulsions in detergents (Neuen- schwander, 1965). Reforestation projects with replanting of Quillaja have begun.

LA CAMPANA AS A NATIONAL PARK

Interest in protecting the ecological attributes of the La Campana area has been widespread for more than thirty years, spurred particularly by the work of Mr A. Garaventa and Mr G. Looser. The prime factor influencing the movement to form La Campana National Park has been the outstanding natural features included

LA CAMPANA NATIONAL PARK, CHILE 45

within the area of La Campana, Cerro Roble, and the Valley of Ocoa as described above. The historical interest of the area has also been long recognised. The Sociedad Cientlfica de Valparaiso and the British Resident Colony placed a metal plaque below the summit of La Campana in 1935 to honour Charles Darwin's ascent of this peak on 17 August 1835. Equally as important as the ecological and historical values, however, are the tremendous educational and recreational values of a national park within 60 to 90 minutes of the population centres of Santiago and Valparaiso.

Although Chile has an extensive system of national parks (see Hartwig & Wiebecke, 1968; Elizalde MacClure, 1970; Corporaci6n National Forestal, 1972) almost all of these are in the far north or south, a long distance from the large cities of central Chile. The closest park to the north is the Fray Jorge fog forest in the coastal hills south of Coquimbo, over 350 km north of Valparaiso. To the south, Nahuelbuta National Park (5,400 ha) protects a relict population of Araucaria araucana, 550 km distant. Thus, with no other significant national park within a reasonable distance from the most populated cities of Santiago and Valparaiso, the recreational and educational value of the National Park La Campana is obvious. The educational value is made particularly important with the increasing awareness and emphasis placed on ecological values within the Chilean educational system.

La Campana National Park was proclaimed by law in 1966, after more than 30 years of discussion. Its protection was urgent, because of progressive deteriora- tion aggravated by the increasing population pressure of the surrounding towns. The continued activities of copper mines and the installation of a transmission station and an observatory on the top of El Roble have also added complex problems to the area. The World Wildlife Fund has promoted the park by spon- soring the publication of two pamphlets, one on the park as a whole and the other on the Ocoa Palm Valley (Weisser, 1972). Although serious problems still exist, particularly in relation to the establishment of boundaries of the park, it is hoped that the Chilean government and people will give La Campana National Park the importance and financial support it deserves and requires. A realistic manage- ment plan effectively to restrict environmental degradation through charcoal burning, overgrazing, and palm cutting is the first step to protecting the natural features of this unique area. We urge that the Comite Nacional pro Defensa de la Fauna y Flora, Casilla 3675, Santiago, Chile, continue to receive strong support from all interested persons, in order to make a real contribution towards the protection and management of this area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by the Ford Foundation's University of California-- University of Chile Convenio Program and the Comisi6n National para la

46 PHILIP W. RUNDEL, PABLO J. WEISSER

Invest igaci6n Cientifica f rom the Univers i ty o f Chile, Sant iago, Chile.

REFERENCES

CEX, J. M. (1962), Batraeios de Chile. Santiago, Ediciones Universidad de Chile. COm'ORACI6N NATIONAL FOI~STAL (1972). Parques Nacionales de Chile. Santiago (Mimeographed). CUNmL, P. (1970). Geografia de Chile. Santiago, Editorial Universidad de Chile. DARWIN, C. R. (1962). The Voyage of the Beagle. Natural History Library Edition. New York,

Doubleday & Co., 524 p. DONOSO-BAI~ROS, R. (1966). Reptiles de Chile. Santiago, Ediciones Universidad de Chile. ELIZALDE MACCLURE, R. (1970). La sobrevivencia de Chile. 2nd Edn, Santiago, Ministerio de

Agricultura, Servicio Ganadero. HAR~CCIG, F. & WmB~CKE, C. (1968). Landschaftsschutz und Naturparke in Chile. Forstarchiv,

39, 250-6. HERMOSILLA, W. (1962). Observaciones ecologica-cuantitativas sobre la fauna eddfica del Cerro El

Roble. Thesis, Escuela de Veterinaria, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, JOHNSON, A. W. (1965-1967). The birds of Chile. 2 vols. Buenos Aires, Platt Establicimientos

Graficos. Jo~Iow, F. (1945). Flora de Zapallar. Revta chil. Hist. nat., 49, 1-566. KocH, H. (1961). Unsere chilenische Palme. Wissenwerte Einzelheiten. Andina, 1961, 33-7. Ltx~mt, G. (1927). Nothofagus, Cyttariay Myzodendron en el Cerro del Roble (Prov. de Santiago).

Revta chil. Hist. nat., 31, 288-90. MooNev, H. A., DUNN, E. L., SHROPSmRE, F. & SONG, L. (1970). Vegetation comparisons between

the Mediterranean climatic areas of California and Chile. Flora, Jena, 159, 480-96. Mu~oz, C. (1966). Sinopsis de la Flora Chilena. Santiago, Editorial Universidad de Chile. NEUENSCHWANDER, A. (1965). Contribuci6n al estudio anatomico de la corteza de quillay y

recomendaciones sobre su explotaci6n. Thesis, Escuela de Agronomia, Universidad de Chile, Santiago.

OBEROORFER, E. (1960). Pflanzensoziologische Studien in Chile. Ein Vergleich mit Europa. Flora et Vegetatio Mundi, 2, Verlag J. Cramer.

R~ICH~, K. (1907). Grundzuge der Pflanzenverbreitung in Chile. In Die Vegetation der Erde, 8, Ed. by W. Engelmann, Leipzig.

RUmNSTEIN, A. (1969). Inventario y estudio de producci6n de un rodal de palma chilena Jubaea chilensis (Mol.) Baillon. Hacienda Ocoa, Prov. de Valparaiso. Thesis, Facultad Agronomia, Universidad de Chile, Santiago.

SCHLEGEL, F. (1966). Pflanzensoziologische und floristische Untersuchungen ~ber Hartlaubgeh61ze im La Plata-Tal bei Santiago de Chile. Ber. oberhess. Ges. Nat.-u. Heilk., New Series, 34, 163-204.

SCHMrrHOSEN, J. (1954). Waldgesellschaften des nordlichen Mittelchile. Vegetatio, 5-6, 479-86. SCHMITnOSEN, J. (1956). Die r~iumliche Ordnung der chileniscben Vegetation. Bonn. Geogr. Abh.,

17, 1-86. SHAMBERGER, M. (in press). Los mamlferos del Parque Nacional La Carapana. Santiago, Cor-

poracion Nacional Forestal. WEISSER, P. (1972). Warum National park La Campana? Andina, 1972, 44-9. WEhSSER, P. & AGtrILERA, I. (1973). Mittelchile: Gewinnung von Palmenhonig im OeoataL

Documentary film, 16 ram, published by Encyclopaedia Cinematographica, No. E 1812/1973, Inst. f. d. Wiss. Film, G6ttingen, 14 p.