Sphagnum moss harvesting in southern Chile: Capacity building for peatland management and conservation

Background/Question/Methods The use of fire and logging to clear forests since the mid 19^th century in the temperate region of southern Chile has reduced forest cover in rural landscapes and created new areas of wetlands, dominated by Sphagnum moss species, locally called “pomponales” because of the common name for Sphagnum moss, “pompon”. When forests growing on poorly-drained soils are burned or logged, the hard pan located near the soil surface creates waterlogged conditions that significantly slow down tree regeneration. These secondary wetlands (young peatlands) are now major sites for commercial harvesting of Sphagnum moss in southern Chile. Sphagnum moss is used internationally as substrate for horticultural crops, fruit trees and orchids. Chile exports annually 2,250 tons of dry moss. Because of the high international market demand, exports have increased in 4 times since 1998. This demand has promoted indiscriminate use of the resource with negative ecological consequences, such as disruption of the Sphagnum ecosystem, changing its water storage capacity and reducing its biodiversity.  We developed a capacity-building program addressed to local farmers to propose sustainable harvest protocols and examine the importance of Sphagnum-dominated ecosystems, emphasizing their functions as hydrological and carbon reservoirs. The program is based on our own research results to estimate Sphagnum growth rates and ecosystem productivity in the same areas where harvesting is occurring. We have experimentally measured growth rates and productivity in nine Sphagnum peatlands in the vicinity of Puerto Montt (41^o S), Chile, since 2006, and recorded the water table levels over one annual cycle in harvested and intact sites. Results/Conclusions Given the slow growth rates measured (3.2 ± 0.01 cm/yr) harvesting in small patches (up to 1 kg dry mass/m²), with a turnover time of 3-5 years is necessary for the sustainability of the wetlands, without degrading their resource base and maintain ecosystem functions. We are presently testing a sustainable harvest protocol with 21 local farmers and we have established a network of public and private users and policy makers, to agree on sustainable principles to regulate the use of Sphagnum moss in the region.