Estudio de la competitividad e internacionalización de la navegabilidad del río Magdalena

La infraestructura colombiana es uno de los mayores problemas a los cuales se enfrenta el comercio en el país, debido a la situación en que se encuentran las carreteras, la falta de vías fluviales, férreas y las condiciones geográficas que se presentan. Es por esto que el gobierno plantea dentro del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo (PND), inversiones en infraestructura para mejorar las condiciones de esta, permitiendo atender las demandas de comercio. Uno de los mayores proyectos a los que se enfrenta el país es la “recuperación de la navegabilidad del río Magdalena” con el cual se pretenden ahorrar costos de transporte, optimizar las cantidades trasladadas y hacer efectivo y eficiente el comercio en Colombia. El presente trabajo, destaca la importancia que tiene esta vía fluvial, las ventajas que se obtendrán al recuperar el río y las obras a realizar para mejorar sus condiciones actuales.

Crocodile crimes: people versus wildlife and the politics of postcolonial conservation on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

This article is about the politics of conservation in postcolonial Southern Africa. It focuses on the process and consequences of redefining the Nile crocodile as an endangered species and explores the linked local and international, commercial and conservationist interests that allowed the animal to re-establish itself in state-protected waterways in colonial and postcolonial contexts. It investigates the effects of the animal's successful re-accommodation by examining conflicts between crocodiles and the fishing communities sharing space on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Fishermen's hostile representations of the animal emphasize competition for fish, harassment, fear, loss of assets and loss of life. Their fear of crocodiles is heightened by the animal's entanglement in local social life, through its association with witchcraft. The article emphasizes the importance of considering both hegemonic and marginalized ideas about animals in the light of the material interactions, relations of power and historical contexts that shape them. Understanding the attitudes and circumstances of the local communities who bear the physical and economic costs of living with dangerous animals is important-it threatens the future of conservation programmes and reveals the potential for significant abuses to accompany the conservation of wildlife in postcolonial contexts. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating canalside hedgerows to determine future interventions

This paper describes a project undertaken during 2001/2002 which developed a method for valuing hedgerows adjacent to the inland waterway network of Great Britain. The method enables the landowner, British Waterways, to manage their valuable environmental asset to achieve a good level of biodiversity and robust habitat balanced against the heavy amenity use the 3000 km canal network endures. Valuation techniques were developed using a combination of new and existing ecological indices for components of biodiversity, hedgerow structure and amenity, and synthesised into an index in an innovative combined approach. The resultant index was then applied to a sample 20 km section of hedge alongside the Grand Union Canal in Southeast England. The results obtained reflect the hedgerows' present value, and highlight factors that might improve or limit their future increase in value. The results from the case study application also demonstrate that there is a positive relationship between hedgerow structure and biodiversity, and that hedgerows in urban areas are less biodiverse and structurally sound than those in rural areas. Furthermore, there is a zone within rural areas influenced by the adjacent urban areas and/or higher amenity use. The paper concludes with an assessment of the approaches' strengths and weaknesses with a view to its compatibility with other hedgerow evaluations, such as HEGS, its use by other agencies or landowners, and to aid hedgerow management and future development. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A molecular, morphological and cytological investigation of the identity of non-native Ludwigia (Onagraceae) populations in Britain

A combined molecular, morphological and cytological analysis was used to study the identity and number of species of Ludwigia section Oligospermum occurring in British waterways. Only one taxon was identified for which the name L. grandiflora subsp. hexapetala (Hook. & Arn.) G.L. Nesom & Kartesz is preferred. A chromosome count of 2n = 80 was made for all plants tested and DNA evidence demonstrates that at least two clones are present in Britain. Morphological characters to differentiate L.grandiflora subsp. hexapetala and L. peploides subsp. montevidensis (Spreng.) P.H. Raven are provided. Though the production of fruit in Britain by apparently isolated populations is noted, repeated introduction into the wild from gardens is judged to be primarily responsible for the British distribution of the taxon. Legislative implications are considered and an amendment to Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) is strongly advocated.

Insuring cleaner oceans: the economics of oil pollution prevention

The current system of controlling oil spills involves a complex relationship of international, federal and state law, which has not proven to be very effective. The multiple layers of regulation often leave shipowners unsure of the laws facing them. Furthemore, nations have had difficulty enforcing these legal requirements. This thesis deals with the role marine insurance can play within the existing system of legislation to provide a strong preventative influence that is simple and cost-effective to enforce. In principle, insurance has two ways of enforcing higher safety standards and limiting the risk of an accident occurring. The first is through the use of insurance premiums that are based on the level of care taken by the insured. This means that a person engaging in riskier behavior faces a higher insurance premium, because their actions increase the probability of an accident occurring. The second method, available to the insurer, is collectively known as cancellation provisions or underwriting clauses. These are clauses written into an insurance contract that invalidates the agreement when certain conditions are not met by the insured The problem has been that obtaining information about the behavior of an insured party requires monitoring and that incurs a cost to the insurer. The application of these principles proves to be a more complicated matter. The modern marine insurance industry is a complicated system of multiple contracts, through different insurers, that covers the many facets of oil transportation. Their business practices have resulted in policy packages that cross the neat bounds of individual, specific insurance coverage. This paper shows that insurance can improve safety standards in three general areas -crew training, hull and equipment construction and maintenance, and routing schemes and exclusionary zones. With crew, hull and equipment, underwriting clauses can be used to ensure that minimum standards are met by the insured. Premiums can then be structured to reflect the additional care taken by the insured above and beyond these minimum standards. Routing schemes are traffic flow systems applied to congested waterways, such as the entrance to New York harbor. Using natural obstacles or manmade dividers, ships are separated into two lanes of opposing traffic, similar to a road. Exclusionary zones are marine areas designated off limits to tanker traffic either because of a sensitive ecosystem or because local knowledge is required of the region to ensure safe navigation. Underwriting clauses can be used to nullify an insurance contract when a tanker is not in compliance with established exclusionary zones or routing schemes.

Conciliação entre modelos de mecanismos avançados de oxidação eletroquímica

Many pollutants dumped in waterways, such as dyes and pesticides, have become so ubiquitous that they represent a serious threat to human health. The electrochemical oxidation is presented as an alternative clean, efficient and economic degradation of wastewater containing organic compounds and a number of advantages of this technique is to just not make use of chemical reagents, since only electrical energy is consumed during the removal of pollutants organic. However, despite being a promising alternative, still needs some tweaking in order to obtain better efficiency in the elimination of persistent pollutants. Thus, this study sought a relationship between a recently discovered phenomenon that reflects the participation of dissolved oxygen in solution in the electrochemical oxidation process, as an anomaly, present a kinetic model that shows instantaneous current efficiency (ICE) above 100% limited by theory, manifested for some experiments with phenolic compounds with H2SO4 or HClO4 as supporting electrolyte with electrodes under anodic oxidation on boron doped diamond (BDD). Therefore it was necessary to reproduce the data ICE exposes the fault model, and thus the 2-naphthol was used as phenolic compound to be oxidised at concentrations of 9, 12 and 15 mmol L-1, and H2SO4 and HClO4 to 1 mol L-1 as a supporting electrolyte under a current density of 30 mA cm-2 in an electrochemical reactor for continuous flow disk configuration, and equipped with anodes DDB at room temperature (25 oC). Experiments were performed using N2 like as purge gas for eliminate oxygen dissolved in solution so that its influence in the system was studied. After exposure of the anomaly of the ICE model and investigation of its relationship with dissolved O2, the data could be treated, making it possible for confirmation. But not only that, the data obtained from eletranálise and spectroscopic analysis suggest the involvement of other strongly oxidizing species (O3 (ozone) and O radicals and O2 -), since the dissolved O2 can be consumed during the formation of new strong oxidizing species, not considered until now, something that needs to be investigated by more accurate methods that we may know a little more of this system. Currently the performance of the electrocatalytic process is established by a complex interaction between different parameters that can be optimized, so it is necessary to the implementation of theoretical models, which are the conceptual lens with which researchers see

Clues to the presence of pathogenic fungi in certain environments

The presence of various pathogenic fungi in rather unsuspected hosts and environments has always attracted the attention of the scientific community. Reports on the putative role of animals in fungal infections of humans bear important consequences on public health as well as on the understanding of fungal ecology. Fungi are ubiquitous in nature and their great capacity for adaptation allows them to survive and indeed, to thrive, in plants, trees and other natural substrata. Nonetheless, we are just beginning to learn the significance that these diverse fungal habitats have on the increasing number of immunosuppressed individuals. The accidental or permanent presence of fungi in animals, plants, soils and watercourses should not be taken too lightly because they constitute the source where potential pathogens will be contracted. If those fungal habitats that carry the largest risks of exposure could be defined, if seasonal variations in the production of infectious propagules could be determined, and if their mode of transmission were to be assessed, it would be possible to develop protective measures in order to avoid human infection. Additionally, unsuspected avenues for the exploration of fungal survival strategies would be opened, thus enhancing our capacity to react properly to their advancing limits. This paper explores several ecological connections between human pathogenic fungi and certain animals, trees, waterways and degraded organic materials. The occurrence of such connections in highly endemic areas will hopefully furnish more precise clues to fungal habitats and allow the design of control programs aimed at avoiding human infection.

The role of organic matter on the adsorption of mercury in sediments from Amazon lakes, Brazil

Gold has been exploited intensively in the Brazilian Amazon during the past 20 years, and the elemental mercury (Hg) used in amalgamating the gold has caused abnormal Hg concentrations in waterways. Since 1986 particular attention has been given to the Madeira River because it is the largest tributary of the Amazon River and gold mining was officially allowed on a 350-km sector of the river. In this paper, samples of sediments from nine lakes located in the Madeira River basin, Rondonia State, Brazil, were analysed for mercury and organic matter. The average Hg content ranged between 33 and 157 ppb, which is about 8-40 times higher than the average value corresponding to 4.4 ppb for rocks occurring in the area (regional background). Significant correlation was found between the Hg content and organic matter in the sediments, indicating its importance on the retention of this heavy metal.

Concessions and road and rail transport optimization

Includes bibliography

Infrastructure, transport and production development in an agricultural region: a case in Argentina.

The development of the agricultural area in central and northern Argentina was analysed in a recent ECLAC study. More than 80% by volume of the country's agricultural exports pass through the ports in this area. Exports by the agroindustrial complex account for 58% of the total value of Argentine sales.It is known that investments in infrastructure generally help to reduce the costs of enterprises and to enhance productivity. The main idea presented in this study is that investments in transport infrastructure are a necessary condition for the productive development of a region, especially in relation to external trade through ports and navigable waterways.In the case of Argentina, a positive relationship has been observed between the development of port and waterway services (with reduced costs and operating times, improved reliability and new services), and expansion of the agricultural border, growth of productivity and agricultural production, and its industrialization.

Análise de impactos ambientais e econômicos em transporte multimodal

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Civil - FEIS

Intervenção urbana integrada: concepção, ações e contradições: o caso do Projeto de intervenção urbana do Residencial Carlos Marighella

O Residencial Carlos Marighella foi uma “ocupação informal”, classificado em 2002, pelo Ministério das Cidades, como subnormal. Hoje é um residencial que abriga mais de 2000 famílias, e está localizado no tecido urbano do município de Ananindeua, na Região Metropolitana de Belém (Pará). Sua área é entrecortada por dois igarapés que passam por um processo acelerado de degradação, devido aos dejetos que são lançados em seu leito, sem qualquer tratamento. O Igarapé das Toras é o mais afetado devido à ocupação por cerca de 40 de famílias ao longo de suas margens. A construção desse território é resultado de um movimento social de acesso à moradia, o qual logrou alcançar o reconhecimento público dos direitos ao território. Contudo, a população mantém relações contraditórias com o meio ambiente e, em especial, com os cursos de água – a exemplo do Igarapé das Toras, o qual está ameaçado em sua perenidade. Em 2006, o Município de Ananindeua, por meio de sua Secretaria de Habitação, elaborou e apresentou proposta junto ao Ministério das Cidades, para a urbanização de assentamentos precários, com o apoio dos moradores da área. E, em 2007, o projeto foi aprovado, contemplando a área do Carlos Marighella, com recursos financeiros destinados à intervenção urbana. A pesquisa teve como objetivo examinar como o projeto de intervenção urbana integrada interagiu com a população local, com o agente municipal, e o órgão financiador pelo agente federal, a CAIXA. A revisão teórica foi realizada por meio dos conceitos de intervenção urbana integrada e gestão social de seus atores, como a participação social, no contexto de desenvolvimento socioambiental. O método de abordagem foi um estudo de caso de natureza histórico-descritiva, e com enfoque qualitativo, devido ao fato da análise centrar-se em uma política pública de intervenção urbana integrada diferenciada daquelas que foram, à época, implementadas por meio do Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC). O estudo mostra que não foram incorporadas as questões relativas ao reconhecimento mais amplo do “direito à cidade”, e que houve limitação no entendimento de “intervenção urbana integrada” e “cidadania”, por parte dos elaboradores.

Análise de medidas adaptativas autônomas usadas pela população em caso de inundações: estudo dos Bairros de Batista Campos e Cremação em Belém, Pará

Comunidades vulneráveis estão sujeitas aos impactos causados por eventos climáticos e aos efeitos nocivos que eles provocam como perturbar o funcionamento da sociedade e a possível ocorrência de perdas materiais, econômicas e sociais. Quanto maior a capacidade de adaptar-se, menores as vulnerabilidades. Em Belém, a presença de cursos hídricos dentro da área urbana e a ocupação irregular ao longo das faixas marginais evidenciam os fatores que levam às frequentes enchentes na região. Provavelmente, as enchentes tenham aumentado a partir da postura das instituições públicas, que favoreceram a ocupação de áreas alagáveis da cidade através dos aterramentos e canalização de igarapés. Dessa forma, o processo de periferização foi intensificado nas áreas de várzea e o espaço, profundamente alterado pela ocupação das áreas não edificáveis, como as bordaduras dos cursos d’água urbanos. Em função disso, a pesquisa objetivou definir a vulnerabilidade e a adaptação autônoma aos impactos das inundações considerando indicadores sociais, habitacionais e de saneamento. Foram analisadas as formas estruturais de adaptação, a partir da observação das edificações, suas tipologias e técnicas construtivas. Para tal, a metodologia para a realização do trabalho foi dividida em três etapas, que compreendem a delimitação da área de estudo; a descrição das medidas autônomas contra inundações e a análise da população como produtora destas medidas. Os resultados retratam a tentativa da comunidade de diminuir as perdas sobre algo que a representa valor, ou seja, as tomadas de decisão de adaptação quanto à capacidade e ao tipo de ação da população, onde as medidas adaptativas refletem não somente as habilidades da comunidade, mas uma série de outros indicadores sociais, econômicos e cognitivos.

Ferramenta de avaliação do transporte hidroviário de passageiros da região amazônica

A Amazônia brasileira detém mais de 60% da água doce disponível no Brasil, por onde passa um dos maiores rios do mundo, o Rio Amazonas, tanto em extensão como em volume de água, além de abrigar uma das maiores redes hidroviárias do Planeta, com centenas de rios caudalosos. É nesse sistema que a presente pesquisa se propôs a fazer uma análise quantitativa e qualitativa da frota de embarcações, terminais e demanda de passageiros que são transportados pelos rios da Amazônia brasileira, visando contribuir para o desenvolvimento tecnológico do transporte hidroviário de passageiros na região. Através de um método matemático para o cálculo do valor da tarifa por passageiro, que leva em consideração as características físicas e operacionais de cada linha, buscou-se analisar os valores praticados, assim como otimizou-se os parâmetros de uma embarcação com as condições ideais e de menor custo por passageiro transportado. Neste aspecto verificou-se ainda, que o custo do transporte do passageiro pode ser reduzido com um projeto de embarcação mais adequado para cada linha e respectiva demanda. Os dados, informações e previsões sobre a produção do transporte hidroviário de passageiros são apresentados para melhor entendimento do setor de maneira a possibilitar propostas de transportes mais eficientes, de acordo com as características da via navegável e do ambiente operacional. Com o método de avaliação de custo proposto foi possível verificar que o custo do transporte hidroviário de passageiro na Amazônia não é homogêneo, em virtude da grande diversidade de embarcações que operam em cada linha, e que, a otimização do projeto adequado para cada linha pode ter grande reduções no custo do passageiro transportado.

A Amazônia revisitada: de Manaus a Belém e Macapá, com interlúdio no sudoeste do Pará

Entre abril e maio de 2008, o jornalista espanhol Bernardo Gutiérrez realizou, por barco, uma viagem de Manaus a Belém, com escalas em várias cidades do baixo Amazonas. O relato da viagem constitui Calle Amazonas: de Manaos a Belém por el Brasil olvidado, publicado na Espanha, em 2010. O presente trabalho mostra como Gutiérrez entrelaça em seu livro o relato de três viagens. A primeira é o deslocamento pelo emaranhado de cursos de água, descrevendo os lugares visitados. A esta viagem articula-se um recorrido pela narrativa de outros viajantes, uma biblioteca que constitui a memória cultural da região. A terceira seria a aventura da escrita. Valendo-se da experiência do percurso realizado e das leituras sobre o tema, o jornalista constrói, no limiar entre história e ficção, realidade e fantasia, elementos concernentes à Amazônia desde seu descobrimento, o relato que constitui seu livro.