THE MAB RESERVE OF NACUNAN, ARGENTINA - ITS ROLE IN UNDERSTANDING THEMONTE DESERT BIOME

Temperate and semi-arid regions of Argentina are undergoing rapid habi tat conversion as a result of several human activities (i.e. grazing, logging, agriculture, etc.). These arid ecosystems contain many endemi c species and have played an important role in the evolution of South American biota. The Man and Biosphere Reserve of Nacunan (12,800 ha) i s located in the central region of the lowland Monte Desert. The reser ve is a stand within a highly disturbed matrix characterized by defore station (i.e. mesquite, Prosopis)and overgrazing. Major vegetational a nd animal communities recovered after the reserve was fenced in 1972, and Nacunan thus provides critical data describing the recovery of bio tic and abiotic components of the Monte Desert when anthropogenic assa ults are minimized. Indeed, the Reserve of Nacunan protects many disti nctive habitats of the Monte Desert, including mesquite forest, or alg arrobal, and several representative animals of the South American biot a (i.e. tinamous, rhea, marsupials, edentates and caviomorph rodents). Several research projects on community ecology, herbivory, disturbanc es, ecology and ecophysiology have been or are being developed in the reserve. Although the town of Nacunan lies within the reserve, the lin k between the research community and the local people has not been str ong, persistent or effective. The reserve is the most important site i n Argentina for monitoring the ecological health of the Monte Desert a nd for developing indicators of desertification. Its potential is grea t for long-term ecological research and for strengthening the infrastr ucture of science. Sustainable development in the next millennium requ ires integrating the activities of the research, local people, ranch l andowners and governmental sectors so as to infuse science-based propo sals into management and conservation initiatives. (C)1998 Academic Pr ess Limited.