Called “Little Switzerland”, at the foot of the Andes, Bariloche is a stunning beauty of a place…
Click here to loose yourself in a photo gallery of its amazing lakes and mountains.
I could try to describe the emotions that run through you when you overlook the lake Nahuel Huapi on a warm spring day, but I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.
There are some striking differences between Europe and South-America. An important one that caught my ecological eye is created by the high levels of exotic invasions. Compared to the invasion in the places I visited in South-America, plant invasion in Europe is only in its starting phase (see also here).
Everywhere I came in Patagonia, exotic species were booming. Cities are almost completely filled with exotics and whole areas start feeling like a European or North-American ecosystem.
One of the most obvious problems is created by North-American pine species, in large amounts introduced for their economical value.
With their love for the growing conditions in the open Patagonian steppes, they turned out to be impossible to constrain within their well-defined plantation. They can be found spreading over large distances, steadily changing the steppe into a closed monoculture.
Their capacities to rapidly dig for water in this dry ecosystems probably lies at least partly at the root of this impressive competitive behaviour.
If you wait too long, management of the invaded sites becomes almost unfeasable. Even if the trees can be eradicated, the question remains if the old steppe will find possibilities to regrow.
The main problem is the ever-present seed source, the nearby plantation. As it has its economical value, it can not be removed. As long as the source remains, the fight with the emerging pines might be impossible to win.
Those eagerly invading pines and the forested system that result from them will have a huge effect on the other exotic invaders underneath them. If that effect is positive or negative, that is a story I hope to tell in a near future.
Specialist on the matter and guide on our highly interesting excursion in the field, is Argentinian scientist Martin Nuñez.
Highly recommended post on plant invasions in the mountains from my French colleague after our recent meeting in Argentina!
I have just spent several days in the breathtaking mountain landscapes of the Nahuel Huapi National Park (San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina) together with Ann Milbau, Jonas Lembrechts, Anibal Pauchard and Martin Nuñez talking about plant invasion at high altitudes and latitudes. I’m still very much a novice in the field of plant invasions and thus this post might sound pretty naive to those of you who are plant-invasion geeks. Anyway, I think that I’m learning a lot by hanging around Ann, Jonas, Anibal and Martin who all know a great deal on this topic and thus I’m giving it a try. Please, correct me if I’m saying anything stupid here. One thing that I have rapidely understood is that although these cold and harsh environments are among the least invaded ecosystems in the world, nonnative plants are becoming increasingly common in these environments (Pauchard et al., 2009
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Under clear blue skies, we wrapped up the final thoughts from our Argentinian meeting. This marks the end of a very fruitful week with highly interesting discussions that gonna guide me for the next four years of research.
The wide views at the foot of the Andes only had good influences on our minds. The unique combination of South-American and European vibes truly sparked first-class ideas.
It has been a delight to sit together and make such large steps forward. Now it is just a matter of converting this thoughts into actions. The future starts now. Let me surf on the Argentinian energy and see where enthusiasm can bring me.
There are definitely going to be a lot of sequels!
Argentina blessed us with beautiful weather. We heard tales of biting cold only days before we arrived, so I packed all my warm clothes.
When we arrived, spring was in full glory, with a warm sun illuminating the fresh plant life of spring.
It made for nice little hikes and stunning views in between our fruitfull discussions at the hotel.
You do not need to go far to find beauty in this place. As soon as you look out the window, wherever you look, the lake is always there. Around every corner, its beauty shines through the trees or enrolls at your feet.
In the morning, the window view is even more impressive.
The warm beautiful spring weather also revealed tons of alien species. No place seems better suited for a conference on invasion ecology than this beautiful landscape, overgrown as it is with exotic species.
It almost felt like coming home in some forest parts, with vegetation almost completely based on European and North-American species. Today, we will have a closer look at local invasions and how managers deal with them.
I got the window seat on my flight from Buenos Aires to Bariloche; truly the best spot you can get on a domestic flight. It gave me a chance to enjoy the scenery while we crossed endless Argentina.
Taking off from Buenos Aires gave already the first impressive view. A city with more inhabitants than in the whole of Belgium, that is something to loose youre breath for.
When row after row of aparment blocks finally faded in the distance, we flew over the checkerboard landscape that seems to cover the whole southern part of Argentina. Endless roads, all straight as a ruler for mile after mile, dividing square-shaped agricultural fields, every once in a while disturbed by a lake.
It was only when we approached the Andes that the checkerboard vanished. The fields became bigger, the roads further apart. Then, an inhabited dry steppe came into sight while the hills slowly got higher.
After less than 24 hours of travelling, I transferred from a small Belgian village to a small city in the Patagonian Andes; a truly impressive accomplishment from modern society.
On arrival in the hotel, I was happy to see I again got a window seat, but this time from my room. A breath-taking lake and mountain range is going to keep us company for the next few days.
Now, back to work, there is a lot of science that needs to be done!
The 3D lab 
