Ecosystem services provided by native xerophytic vegetation in the desert macrozone of northern Chile: a baseline for environmental monitoring in arid lands.

This study provides the first systematic inventory of ecosystem services supplied by native xerophytic vegetation across the northern macrozone of Chile (Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions) by integrating literature review (71 documents) and expert knowledge (10 specialists). The identified services-predominantly provision (especially medicinal plants), cultural (indigenous identity and traditional practices) and regulating (soil stabilization, microclimate regulation)-are linked to more than 100 native species, many of them threatened. The resulting baseline constitutes a practical framework for incorporating xerophytic formations into regional and national environmental monitoring programs, enabling the tracking of ecosystem functionality, the early detection of degradation driven by mining, unsustainable extraction and climate change, and the prioritization of conservation actions in one of the world's most extreme arid environments.