Nivel de conocimiento de la nueva Ley de bosque nativo y fomento forestal : El caso de los pequeños propietarios forestales de la Cordillera de Nahuelbuta (Chile)

Se evaluó el nivel de conocimiento de la nueva Ley de bosque nativo y fomento forestal que poseen los pequeños propietarios forestales en dos territorios de la Cordillera de Nahuelbuta, en Chile. Para ello, se aplicó una encuesta a 53 personas (10 de las viviendas), que abordó cinco temas centrales: (1) uso del bosque nativo, (2) participación en redes sociales y acceso a la información, (3) conocimiento general de la Ley, (4) conocimiento respecto a la administración y (5) fomento de la Ley. Los resultados mostraron que: (1) el bosque nativo es usado para obtener productos madereros y no madereros, (2) las redes sociales y especialmente la radio son fundamentales para la transferencia de información, (3) tanto el conocimiento general de la Ley como (4) el nivel de conocimiento respecto de la administración de la Ley es insuficiente, y (5) se desconocen los trámites que deben efectuarse para obtener los beneficios de la Ley. Se concluye que: (1) el nivel de conocimiento de la Ley es insuficiente, (2) es fundamental estimular el uso de los instrumentos de esta Ley en la totalidad del territorio, de modo de garantizar el uso sustentable del recurso, y (3) la difusión de los beneficios de la Ley debe considerar las formas de comunicación tradicionales, el nivel de educación y la cultura de los espacios rurales

Bosques nativos en Salta : Entre el ordenamiento territorial y los re-(des)ordenamientos posibles

En noviembre de 2007 fue sancionada la Ley Nacional No. 26.331 ("Ley de bosques"), que insta a cada provincia a realizar un Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos. Salta fue una de las primeras jurisdicciones en llevarlo adelante, a través de la Ley No. 7.543 sancionada en diciembre de 2008. En este artículo, a partir del análisis legal, documental y hemerográfico, y de entrevistas realizadas en el marco de nuestra investigación doctoral, ofrecemos una cronología y un análisis del caso salteño, con el objetivo de indagar en los proyectos territoriales en tensión que se hicieron presentes en torno a la definición de la política ambiental de cuidado de los bosques nativos, y sugerimos una serie de perspectivas a futuro en vistas de los posibles re-(des)ordenamientos territoriales

¿Por qué la legislación no protege los bosques nativos de Argentina? Conflictos socioambientales y políticas públicas

Tomando la perspectiva de la ecología política, el artículo analiza los conflictos socioambientales que contextualizaron la sanción de la Ley de Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos de la Provincia de Córdoba (Ley 9814/2010). Se caracterizan los actores sociales en disputa y sus lógicas e intereses en juego, y se analizan los argumentos que justificaron las posiciones que asumieron durante el conflicto que precedió a la sanción de la ley. Se identifican las alianzas generadas a fin de constituir grupos de interés para accionar políticamente en la arena legislativa, y se contextualiza la disputa local/provincial en el modelo agropecuario dominante a nivel nacional/global. El trabajo concluye que la ley expresa una alianza de poder consolidada históricamente entre los sectores hegemónicos de poder económico y político local, quienes usan y construyen el marco institucional del Estado en su propio beneficio sin importar los costos ambientales y sociales. Esta alianza contribuye a debilitar las demandas y derechos de los sectores más vulnerables de la sociedad, desconoce los procesos de participación ciudadana y compromete la oferta futura de servicios ambientales por parte del bosque nativo

(Des)ordenamientos territoriales salteños : Una aproximación al contexto previo al Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos en la provincia de Salta

En este artículo indagamos en las características productivas de la provincia de Salta en los años previos a la sanción de la Ley Nacional No. 26.331 de "Presupuestos Mínimos de Protección Ambiental de los Bosques Nativos" y de la puesta en marcha del Ordenamiento Territorial de Bosques Nativos. Luego de reseñar las transformaciones en el agro que desde inicios de la década de 1970 tienen lugar en la Argentina, avanzamos en la caracterización del proceso y sus particularidades en el este salteño, en donde en las últimas décadas se ha dado un rápido avance de la frontera agropecuaria por sobre territorios antes marginales para la producción agrícola y ganadera empresarial

Targeting genetic resource conservation in widespread species: a case study of Cedrela odorata L.

Conservation of genetic resources is a recognised necessity for the long term maintenance of evolutionary potential. Effective assessment and implementation Strategies are required to permit rapid evaluation and protection of resources. Here we use information from the chloroplast, total genome and quantitative characters assayed across wide-ranging populations to assess genetic resources in a Neotropical tree, Cedrela odorata. A major differentiation identified for organelle, total genomic and quantitative variation was found to coincide with an environmental gradient across Costa Rica. However, a major evolutionary divergence between the Yucatan region and Honduras/Nicaragua identified within the chloroplast genome was not differentiated using quantitative characters. Based on these and other results, a three-tiered conservation genetic prioritisation process is recommended. In order of importance, and where information is available, conservation units should be defined using quantitative (expressed genes), nuclear (genetic connectivity) and organellar (evolutionary) measures. Where possible, information from range wide and local scale studies should be combined and emphasis should be placed on coincidental disjunctions for two or more measures. However, if only rapid assessments of diversity are possible, then assessment of organelle variation provides the most cautious assessment of genetic resources, at least for C. odorata, and can be used to propose initial conservation units. When considering effective implementation of genetic resource management strategies a final tier should be considered, that of landuse/geopolitical divisions. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Boron nutrition and chilling tolerance of warm climate crop species

Background Field observations and glasshouse studies have suggested links between boron (B)-deficiency and leaf damage induced by low temperature in crop plants, but causal relationships between these two stresses at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels have yet to be explored. Limited evidence at the whole-plant level suggests that chilling temperature in the root zone restricts B uptake capacity and/or B distribution/utilization efficiency in the shoot, but the nature of this interaction depends on chilling tolerance of species concerned, the mode of low temperature treatment (abrupt versus gradual temperature decline) and growth conditions (e.g. photon flux density and relative humidity) that may exacerbate chilling stress. Scope This review explores roles of B nutrition in chilling tolerance of continual root or transient shoot chills in crop species adapted to warm season conditions. It reviews current research on combined effects of chilling temperature (ranging from > 0 to 20 degrees C) and B deficiency on growth and B nutrition responses in crop species differing in chilling tolerance. Conclusion For subtropical/tropical species (e.g. cucumber, cassava, sunflower), root chilling at 10-17 degrees C decreases B uptake efficiency and B utilization in the shoot and increases the shoot : root ratio, but chilling-tolerant temperate species (e.g. oilseed rape, wheat) require much lower root chill temperatures (2-5 degrees C) to achieve the same responses. Boron deficiency exacerbates chilling injuries in leaf tissues, particularly under high photon flux density. Suggested mechanisms for B x chilling interactions in plants are: (a) chilling-induced reduction in plasmalemma hydraulic conductivity, membrane fluidity, water channel activity and root pressure, which contribute to the decrease in root hydraulic conductance, water uptake and associated B uptake; (b) chilling-induced stomatal dysfunction affecting B transport from root to shoot and B partitioning in the shoot; and (c) B deficiency induced sensitivity to photo-oxidative damage in leaf cells. However, specific evidence for each of the mechanisms is still lacking. Impacts of B status on chilling tolerance in crop species have important implications for the management of B supply during sensitive stages of growth, such as early growth after planting and early reproductive development, both of which can coincide with the occurrence of chilling temperatures in the field.

Adaptations of strangler figs to life in the rainforest canopy

Figs are rainforest keystone species. Non-strangler figs establish on the forest floor; strangler figs establish epiphytically, followed by a dramatic transition from epiphyte to free-standing tree that kills its hosts. Free-standing figs display vigorous growth and resource demand suggesting that epiphytic strangler figs require special adaptations to deal with resource limitations imposed by the epiphytic environment. We studied epiphytic and free-standing strangler figs, and non-strangler figs in tropical rainforest and in cultivation, as well as strangler figs in controlled conditions. We investigated whether the transition from epiphyte to free-standing tree is characterised by morphological and physiological plasticity. Epiphyte substrate had higher levels of plant-available ammonium and phosphate, and similar levels of nitrate compared with rainforest soil, suggesting that N and P are initially not limiting resources. A relationship was found between taxonomic groups and plant N physiology; strangler figs, all members of subgenus Urostigma, had mostly low foliar nitrate assimilation rates whereas non-strangler figs, in subgenera Pharmacocycea, Sycidium, Sycomorus or Synoecia, had moderate to high rates. Nitrate is an energetically expensive N source, and low nitrate use may be an adaptation of strangler figs for conserving energy during epiphytic growth. Interestingly, significant amounts of nitrate were stored in fleshy taproot tubers of epiphytic stranglers. Supporting the concept of plasticity, leaves of epiphytic Ficus benjamina L. had lower N and C content per unit leaf area, lower stomatal density and 80% greater specific leaf area than leaves of conspecific free-standing trees. Similarly, glasshouse-grown stranglers strongly increased biomass allocation to roots under water limitation. Epiphytic and free-standing F. benjamina had similar average foliar delta C-13, but epiphytes had more extreme values; this indicates that both groups of plants use the C-3 pathway of CO2 fixation but that water availability is highly variable for epiphytes. We hypothesise that epiphytic figs use fleshy stem tubers to avoid water stress, and that nitrate acts as an osmotic compound in tubers. We conclude that strangler figs are a unique experimental system for studying the transition from rainforest epiphyte to tree, and the genetic and environmental triggers involved.

Effects of nitrogen source and ectomycorrhizal association on growth and delta N-15 of two subtropical Eucalyptus species from contrasting ecosystems

Ectomycorrhizal (EM) associations facilitate plant nitrogen (N) acquisition, but the contribution of EM associations to tree N nutrition is difficult to ascertain in ecosystems. We studied the abilities of subtropical EM fungi and nutritionally contrasting Eucalyptus species, Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden and Eucalyptus racemosa Cav, to use N sources in axenic and soil cultures, and determined the effect of EM fungi on plant N use and plant N-15 natural abundance (delta N-15). As measured by seedling growth, both species showed little dependence on EM when growing in the N-rich minerotrophic soil from E. grandis rainforest habitat or in axenic culture with inorganic N sources. Both species were heavily dependent on EM associations when growing in the N-poor, organotrophic soil from the E. racemosa wallum habitat or in axenic culture with organic N sources. In axenic culture, EM associations enabled both species to use organic N when supplied with amide-, peptide- or protein-N. Grown axenically with glutamine- or protein-N, delta N-15 of almost all seedlings was lower than source N. The delta N-15 of all studied organisms was higher than the N source when grown on glutathione. This unexpected N-15 enrichment was perhaps due to preferential uptake of an N moiety more N-15-enriched than the bulk molecular average. Grown with ammonium-N, the delta N-15 of non-EM seedlings was mostly higher than that of source N. In contrast, the delta N-15 of EM seedlings was mostly lower than that of source N, except at the lowest ammonium concentration. Discrimination against N-15 was strongest when external ammonium concentration was high. We suggest that ammonium assimilation via EM fungi may be the cause of the often observed distinct foliar delta N-15 of EM and non-EM species, rather than use of different N sources by species with different root specialisations. In support of this notion, delta N-15 of soil and leaves in the rainforest were similar for E. grandis and co-occurring non-mycorrhizal Proteaceae. In contrast, in wallum forest, E. racemosa leaves and roots were strongly N-15-depleted relative to wallum soil and Proteaceae leaves. We conclude that foliar delta N-15 may be used in conjunction with other ecosystem information as a rapid indicator of plant dependency on EM associations for N acquisition.

Trade-offs between timber production and biodiversity in rainforest plantations: Emerging issues and an ecological perspective

During the past two centuries there have been three major paradigm shifts in the management of Australian rainforests and the use of their timbers: from felling native forests towards growing plantations; from viewing forests and plantations as mainly providers of timber to viewing them as sources of multiple benefits (e.g. timber, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, catchment protection, recreation, regional economic development); and from timber plantations being developed mainly by government on public land towards those established by private citizens, companies, or joint venture arrangements, on previously-cleared freehold land. Rainforest timber plantations are increasingly established for varied reasons, and with multiple objectives. Landholders are increasingly interested in the biodiversity values of their plantations. However, there are few guidelines on the changes to plantation design and management that would augment biodiversity outcomes, or on the extent to which this might require a sacrifice of production. [Abstract extract]

Macrofauna epígea de besouros coprófilos em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária

The soil macrofauna (organisms ≥ 2.0 mm) main function is to act indirectly on the decomposition of organic matter and control the population of microorganisms. This study aims to evaluate the density and richness of coprphilic dung beetles at different levels of nitrogen fertilization and grazing pressure on Crop-Livestock Integration System (ILP) and his opposition to morphotypes present in the native forests of the region. Was used a rural area in Abelardo Luz city, western state of Santa Catarina, on the border of southwest of Paraná, 26° 31' 18.8832" south latitude and 52° 15' 3.4986' west longitude and elevation 862 m for the installation of the experiment, which is already carried out the activity of agriculture and livestock. The study is part of the Integrated Project of Long Duration GISPA UTFPR Group, which evaluates the grazing pressure and time of fertilization deployed in April 2013. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in a 2x2 factorial arrangement with three replications. The factors were "Nitrogen Application" (NP = N in the pasture and NG = N applied in corn) and "Height Grazing" (high and low). The native forest, which provided the parameters for assessing the degree of conservation, lies 700 meters northeast of the experimental area. Modified pitfall traps were used at ground level, on the bait trap and covered together to prevent dehydration. They were carried out 36 collections in bushland, within one year from 26 April 2013, in which we obtained a total of 16,301 individuals and 28 morphotypes. In ILP area specimens were collected from June to September 2014, totaling 23 collections, 74,586 individuals and 30 morphotypes. To carry out the statistics and faunal analysis, GENES programs were used, ANAFAU, NTIA/EMBRAPA and SigmaPlot version 12.5. Most of the correlations observed (90%) between the variables of insects and environmental conditions was significant. The largest number of insects was directly related to the temperature rise. There was a positive correlation between the application of nitrogen and the occurrence of coprophilous. There was a positive correlation between the number of insects and low grazing height. It was also found that some of the insects migrate from the culture to the area of native forest after reaching their peak population. The great similarity of results observed in the native forest and the ILP System indicates the ecological benefits of adopting this technology.