What is a native forest in Argentina? Conceptual framework for an accurate definition according to national institutional policies and available scientific knowledge

Abstract

What is a native forest in Argentina? Conceptual framework for an accurate definition according to national institutional policies and available scientific knowledge. Native forests are the natural ecosystems with the greatest social concern in terms of conservation and management. The scope of the definition of native forest has changed over time, which has influenced the adoption of different forest management instruments carried out by different institutions (e.g., the forest cover obtained from forest inventories in jurisdictions of Argentina). This leads to different results and misunderstandings, which often leads to incomparable outputs (e.g., native forest cover). The objective of this work was to analyse the current definition of the native forest implemented by the Argentine Government within the framework of Law 26331/07, which regulates the implementation of institutional policies. We propose a new definition based on the available scientific knowledge, and try to correct the conceptual gaps identified in the aforementioned law. The proposed definition differs from the original one in the inclusion of the minimum patch size, as well in the assessment of the connectivity and composition of the surrounding landscape. Other main aspects for its implementation are discussed, as well as the impacts at different spatial scales.