From October 17 to 20, 2024, the four PhD students of the KLIMNEM project visited the KLIMNEM partner institution, Free University of Bolzano, in South Tyrol, Italy. There, Prof. Dr. Stefan Zerbe, PI of the module 'Forest Restoration' in the KLIMNEM project, received the committee for a fruitful knowledge exchange.
On February 20 and 21, 2024, CIEFAP hosted a two-day symposium on the KLIMNEM project at the Esquel Technology Park. The aim of this event was to create a platform for exchange and collaboration between the various workgroups, facilitating the effective sharing and discussion of research results. Strong participation and intensive discussions made the event a great success. During the symposium, it was also decided to compile the findings of the KLIMNEM project into a book publication. This publication is intended to make the accumulated knowledge accessible to a broader audience, thus expanding the reach and impact of the research.
In February 2024, after the completion of planning, seven climate stations were installed along a precipitation gradient in the Río Manso Valley (here's the video). In addition to the scientists from CIEFAP, HAWK, and Georg-August University of Göttingen who were involved in the KLIMNEM project, practitioners were also included. This group included the Servicio de Prevención y Lucha Contra Incendios Forestales (SPLIF), which is dedicated to the prevention and control of forest fires. The stations are equipped with various sensors that enable the long-term collection of climate data. These data are crucial for monitoring and analyzing climate changes and support the development of sustainable solutions for environmental changes.
On March 15, 2023, a small delegation from the KLIMNEM project was in Valdivia, Chile, and presented the KLIMNEM project to the staff and students of the Universidad Austral de Chile. More about the visit to Valdivia can be found here (in Spanish).
A part of the KLIMNEM team crossed the border from Argentina to Chile from February 25 to 26 to identify potential areas for an expansion of the transect in the El Manso Valley westward. An expansion westward would extend the humidity gradient and cover the entire distribution area in the east-west extent of Nothofagus dombeyi (Coihue). In addition to various other evergreen broadleaf trees such as Laureliopsis philippiana (Tepa), we encountered very large specimens of N. dombeyi in Valle El León. The following image gallery provides initial impressions…
To introduce the KLIMNEM project in the region and to exchange ideas, a workshop titled “KLIMNEM Workshop - Sharing research interests, ideas and perspectives for the future” (Program) took place from February 22 to 23. In addition to the initial KLIMNEM results, institutions from the region also presented their projects and findings (including Prof. Dr. Thomas Kitzberger, Universidad Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina and Joseline Rose, Instituto Forestal, Valdivia, Chile). A discussion round at the end of the first day and an excursion to various experimental sites and forest stands on the second day facilitated the exchange among the scientists and should be a first impetus for long-term collaborations. More information about the workshop can be found here (in Spanish). The following image gallery provides some impressions of the workshop days...
The beginning of the year 2023 was marked by fieldwork and data collection. From January to March 2023, a large part of the project team was in the field collecting data on the 2nd transect near the community of El Bolsón and gathering installed data loggers from the 1st transect in the El Manso Valley. Here are some impressions from this year's field season...
After regular virtual meetings since the start of the KLIMNEM project in September 2021, a part of the project team met in February 2022 in Patagonia to discuss the intensive fieldwork and to explore the first transect in the El Manso Valley (Río Negro Province). Information about the meeting can be found here (in Spanish).
From November 3 to 16, 2019, a Summer School funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) took place in Esquel (Chubut Province, Argentina). The theme of the event was the implementation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in Argentine Patagonia. The value of Patagonian forests and other extensive natural landscapes for climate change mitigation was intensively discussed. The Summer School also served as preparation for the KLIMNEM project. Further information can be found on the pages of the "Latin America" research group at HAWK.
