Native Plants Can Strengthen Urban Green Infrastructure: An Experimental Case Study in the Mediterranean-Type Region of Central Chile

TL;DR

Native plants in central Chile can survive well with little water, making them ideal for urban areas facing drought and climate change.

Contribution

The study experimentally evaluates native plant survival and growth under limited irrigation in a Mediterranean-type climate.

Findings

Eight native plant species showed water-related growth, with higher shoot growth in spring than winter.

Two species showed survival differences based on irrigation, while others did not.

Eleven species had high survival rates in winter, suggesting suitability for low-water urban environments.

Abstract

In Santiago, Chile, urban plants are highly vulnerable to drought or climate change. We hypothesize that would find high growth and survival rates in conditions of water scarcity among native species of central Chile. The goal was to determine the effect of the year season and an irrigation gradient on the survival and growth of native plant, in order to evaluate potential plant for use in urban green areas of central Chile. Four plots of 20 m2 were located in the Santiago center. In June 2024 twelve species were planted and from November 2024 to March 2025 were irrigated with 13.3, 10.1, 1.7 and 1.4 L/m2/day. The GLM and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses were used. Shoot growth rate was highly variable among species, among irrigation treatments applied, and among year seasons. Eight species showed water-related growth and shoot growth during the winter was very small and higher in spring. Two species showed evidence of water-related survival; in the other 10 species, no significant differences were found between irrigation treatments. Winter was the season with the highest survival rates for eleven species. In conclusion, the results suggest that native plants can achieve high survival rates with limited irrigation. This highlights their potential for use in the urban area in Mediterranean-type climates where rainfall is expected to be low due to climate change.

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