Abordando los efectos biofísicos de los bosques en políticas climáticas nacionales: Oportunidades en Chile

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines how Chile can integrate the non-carbon biophysical effects of forests into its national climate policies. It argues that while carbon sequestration is the primary focus of climate strategies, biophysical processes—such as albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—significantly influence local and global temperatures and precipitation. The document analyzes Chile's forest loss, the resulting local temperature increases, and provides specific recommendations for enhancing the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the Long-Term Climate Strategy, and REDD+ frameworks to account for these effects.

• Forests influence the climate through four primary non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo (solar energy reflection), evapotranspiration (cooling via moisture release), surface roughness (wind turbulence that lifts heat and moisture), and the release of aerosols (particles that interact with the atmosphere and clouds).
• Deforestation has significant impacts across different scales: globally, tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone; regionally, it can reduce downstream precipitation; and locally, it can cause extreme temperature spikes, with the hottest part of the day potentially increasing by over 7.6°C in affected communities.
• Chile has experienced significant forest loss, including a 12% decrease in tree cover since 2000. The sclerophyllous forest and scrubland in the central region are particularly affected, having lost over 80% of their original natural extent.
• Local deforestation in Chile is linked to increased surface temperatures. Research indicates that the conversion of Chilean scrubland led to an average surface temperature increase of 1.4°C during the dry season, reaching up to 4°C in central areas where native vegetation was replaced by crops and pastures.
• Chile's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) could be improved by adjusting reforestation goals to prioritize native species over exotic ones. Exotic pine plantations, which cover 1,300,000 hectares in Chile, offer limited climate benefits due to lower albedo compared to native forests.
• The Long-Term Climate Strategy (presented at COP26 in 2021) includes goals that indirectly mitigate biophysical effects, such as expanding protected areas by 1,000,000 hectares and restoring ecosystem services across 2.5 million hectares by 2050.
• The ARClim digital platform, which tracks climate impacts at a 5-kilometer spatial resolution, could be expanded to include deforestation and its specific effect on temperature increases to better prioritize adaptation measures.
• Chile's REDD+ strategy (ENCCRV) and the '+Bosques' project (investing 63 million USD in 25,000 hectares) currently rely on carbon-based indicators for climate mitigation; incorporating biophysical benefits as performance indicators could increase the attractiveness of nature-based solutions for decision-makers.

APA

Haller, V., & Seymour, F. (n.d.). Abordando los efectos biofísicos de los bosques en políticas climáticas nacionales: Oportunidades en Chile. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/addressing-biophysical-effects-of-forests-national-climate-policies-chile-portuguese.pdf

Chicago

Haller, Vincent, and Frances Seymour. Abordando los efectos biofísicos de los bosques en políticas climáticas nacionales: Oportunidades en Chile. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/addressing-biophysical-effects-of-forests-national-climate-policies-chile-portuguese.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haller |first1=Vincent |last2=Seymour |first2=Frances |title=Abordando los efectos biofísicos de los bosques en políticas climáticas nacionales: Oportunidades en Chile |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/addressing-biophysical-effects-of-forests-national-climate-policies-chile-portuguese.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hallerndabordando, author = {Haller, Vincent and Seymour, Frances}, title = {{Abordando los efectos biofísicos de los bosques en políticas climáticas nacionales: Oportunidades en Chile}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-02/addressing-biophysical-effects-of-forests-national-climate-policies-chile-portuguese.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }