From Southern Cone arid lands, across Atacama, to the Altiplano: biodiversity and conservation at the ends of the world

Abstract

Globally, arid lands are under increasing pressure from growing populations and anthropogenic disturbance from resource extraction, water diversion, introduced species, pollution and inadequate management for long-term sustainability. Biodiversity in dry regions, already at the physiological and energy limits for survival, may be particularly threatened by disturbance and the complex effects of climate change. Arid environments harbour unique endemic species and evolutionary novelty, and must be considered as conservation priorities. Here the cold arid lands of South America are highlighted, with examples of unique lineages and brief overviews of emerging issues threatening these ecosystems.

Keywords:

• Patagonia
• Central Andes
• Tierra del Fuego
• Altiplano
• Atacama
• grassland
• desert
• steppe
• diversity
• endemism

Acknowledgements

My views here stem from both scientific sources and from personal experiences working in and alongside communities in South American arid lands since 1996. Graeme Gissing, Marcelo Romano, Gladys Guerrero, and Monica Abril have highlighted key observations about South American arid lands from their own work and provided extensive field support. The collaboration of parks and government personnel in Argentina and Chile, and several international museum institutions, has been invaluable. I wish to thank Graeme Gissing, Pablo L. Tubaro (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernadino Rivadavia’, MACN-CONICET, Argentina), Vicki Friesen, Stephen Lougheed, and Tim Birt (Queen’s University, Canada) for their extensive contributions to long-term studies of seedsnipes, which inspired the writing of this article. Comments and additional examples provided by an anonymous reviewer greatly complemented the manuscript.