Sustainable Development, Ecological Complexity, and Environmental Values

Sustainable Development, Ecological Complexity, and Environmental Values contributes to expanding the idea of sustainability by integrating different thematic issues related to sustainable development in its threefold consideration (economic, social, and environmental) with regard to the case of the Basque Country. On the global scale, changes have clearly accelerated; ecological and social sustainability are two facets of the same changing reality. First, social sustainability depends on ecological sustainability. If we continue degrading nature's capacity to produce the ecosystems' services (water filtration, climate stabilization, etc) and resources (food, materials), both individuals and nations will be affected by growing pressures and increasing conflicts, as well as by threats to public health and personal safety. Second, ecological sustainability depends on social sustainability, a socially unjust and unfair system wiht an ever-increasing population that is not able to have its needs met will necessarily lead to environmental collapse. In addition, human behavior and the social dynamic often lie at the heart of social and ecological problems. It must be, therefore, assumed that there will not be sustainable development if sustainable societies do not first exist. A sustainable society has the challenge of developing human capital. In this book, these global questions are treated as they relate to specific place and context, the Basque Country and its modern institutions.This book was published with generous financial support from the Basque Government.Introduction—Ignacio Ayestarán and Miren Onaindia ? 1. An Evaluation of Ecosystem Services as a Base for the Sustainable Management of a Region by Miren Onaindia and Gloria Rodríguez-Loinaz ? 2. An Evaluation of Millennium Ecosystems from the Basque Country by Igone Palacios, Izaskun Casada-Arzuaga, Iosu Madariaga, and Xabier Arana ? 3. Climate Change: Activities of the EOLO Group at the University of the Basque Country by Agustín Ezcurra, Jon Sáenz, and Gabriel Ibarra-Berastegi ? 4. The Environmental Value of the Karstic Landscape of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve: The Asnarre Promontory (Bizkaia) by Arantza Aranburu, Laura Damas-Mollá, Patxi García-Garmilla, Iñaki Yusta, M. Arriolabengoa, Peru Iridoy, and Eneko Iriarte ? 5. Recent Environmental Transformation of the Bilbao Estuary: Natural and Anthropogenic Processes by Alejandro Cearreta, Maria Jesús Irabien, and Eduardo Leorri ? 6. The Landscape of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country: The Evolution of Forest Systems by Lorena Peña and Ibone Amezaga ? 7. Critical Theories of Sustainable Development by Eguzki Urteaga ? 8. Bases for the Transition toward a Sustainable Economy by Roberto Bermejo, David Hoyos, and Eneko Garmendia ? 9. Environmental Values, the Epistemology of Complex Problems, and Postnormal Science in the Face of Global Change by Ignacio Ayestáran ? 10. Science, Gender, and Sustainable Development by Teresa Nuño Angós ? 11. Environmental Education as Training: A Case Study at the University of the Basque Country by Araitz Uskola Ibarluzea ? 12. Social Values and Sustainable Practices among Basque Inshore Fishermen by Pío Pérez Aldasoro ? 13. Sustainable Development and the Values of Well-Being and Globalization by Eduardo Rubio Ardanaz, Juan Antonio Rubio-Ardanaz, and Xiao Fang ? Index ? List of Contributor

Factors affecting Dirofilaria immitis prevalence in red foxes in Northeastern Spain

3 pages.-- PMID: 7760485 [PubMed].We determined the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis (Nematoda, Filariidae) among 433 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in northeastern Spain, between 1990 and 1992. Forty-six (11%) of 433 foxes were infected; the intensity ranged from 1 to 36 (mean ± SE; 4.39 ± 0.92) nematodes per host. The prevalence of D. immitis was higher in foxes inhabiting riparian zones of the study area. This population has a very high juvenile/adult ratio. Heartworm prevalences did not differ among host sex, weight, or fat condition categories.The fieldwork was partially financed by the Government of Aragón, Programme 533.1 of Fauna Conservation.Peer reviewe

Estudio paleoambiental a partir de precipitados químicos: espeleotemas de la Sala Roja (Cueva Goikoetxe, Busturia, Bizkaia)

El estudio de la evolución geológica de la cueva de Goikoetxe muestra las distintas secuencias de relleno de la cavidad haciendo posible diferenciar dos secuencias aloestratigráficas que incluyen tanto depósitos de relleno detrítico como de precipitado químico, alternando con eventos erosivos. Dichas secuencias permiten reconstruir la historia de la cavidad durante el transcurso de su formación. En relación a los precipitados de origen químico, han podido diferenciarse al menos tres generaciones de espeleotemas, con dos fases de formación de estalagmitas bien diferenciadas: Antuá (basculada debido a una erosión en la cavidad) y Moreno (de desarrollo vertical sobre Antúa y por tanto de génesis posterior). A partir del estudio petrográfico de estos espeleotemas, se han diferenciado distintas fases de crecimiento por cambios ambientales. Futuros análisis mediante catodoluminiscencia y microscopio electrónico permitirán establecer con mayor precisión la evolución paleoambiental del entorno, mientras que el análisis geoquímico determinará la razón de la coloración de las estalagmitas presentes en esta cueva. Además, también se realizarán dataciones U/Th con el fin de saber la edad exacta de cada proceso.Peer Reviewe

Immediate temperature response in northern Iberia to last deglacial changes in the North Atlantic

Major disruptions in the North Atlantic circulation during the last deglaciation triggered a series of climate feedbacks that influenced the course of Termination I, suggesting an almost synchronous response in the ocean-atmosphere system. We present a replicated 818O stalagmite record from Ostolo cave in the northern Iberian Peninsula with a robust chronological framework that continuously covers the last deglaciation (18.5-10.5 kyr B.P.). The Ostolo 818O record, unlike other speleothem records in the region that were related to humidity changes, closely tracks the well-known high-latitude temperature evolution, offering important insights into the structure of the last deglaciation in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, this new record is accompanied by a clear signal of the expected cooling events associated with the deglacial disruptions in North Atlantic deep convection during Heinrich event 1

Calcretas, espeleotemas y depósitos aluviales: tres registros de una misma historia geológica (Nerja, Málaga)

In this work we study the genetic link between calcretes, speleothems and alluvial deposits developed on the epikarst and endokarst of the Nerja Cave (Nerja, Málaga, Spain) and the adjacent Quaternary (Pleistocene) alluvial fan. Field and petrographic observations, and δ.18O and δ.13C isotopic data analysis of the host rock, distinct calcrete types and epikarst speleothems indicate that these deposits are the result of arid and more humid climatic episodes. Epikarstic and endokarstic speleothem U/Th absolute dating indicate that both endokarstic and epikarstic development of the Nerja Cave was coetaneous and genetically linked to the sedimentation of the adjacent Pleistocene alluvial fan, as a response to climatic changesAgradecimientos: A la Fundación Pública de Servicios Cueva de Nerja y a su Instituto de Investigación por su apoyo y financiación al proyecto “Estudio geológico de la Cueva de Nerja (Maro, Nerja)”, así como al Grupo de Investigación IT1029-16 del Gobierno Vasco. Queremos agradecer especialmente el apoyo y la colaboración incansable de D. Luis-Efrén Fernández, Conservador de la Cueva de Nerja.Peer reviewe

Cueva de los Torrejones revisited: new insights on the paleoecology of inland Iberia during the Late Pleistocene

The interior of the Iberian Peninsula has orographic conditions that make this territory especially vulnerable to Quaternary climate oscillations and which actually could have made it decisive for Paleolithic human populations at critical points. For this reason, the information provided by paleontological sites is important for reconstructing climatic and environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene and understanding how they influenced the species that inhabited them, including humans. Nevertheless, the archaeo-paleontological record is scarce in central Iberia for the Late Pleistocene. A central Iberian site that is key to addressing this issue is Cueva de los Torrejones, which was discovered and excavated during the nineties. Clues indicating the presence of Neandertal populations near the cave site were announced during prior field excavations, including Neandertal remains, Middle Paleolithic artifacts, and evidence of anthropic exploitation of faunal resources at the site. Here we report the new results from the recent excavations and research, including detailed studies on stratigraphy, micromorphology, macro and microvertebrate paleontology, physical and molecular anthropology, taphonomy and zooarchaeology, and analysis of lithic and pottery remains. Our research has led to the detection of three Prehistoric chronologies recorded at the site. The oldest episode corresponds to between MIS 5 and MIS 4 in which the cave was used by carnivores. The second episode is represented by a faunal association dated to 30.0 ka cal BP and is indicative of cooler and more arid environmental conditions and, therefore, compatible with the worsening climate detected previously for MIS 3 in this area. The last episode corresponds to the Chalcolithic, directly dated to ∼5000 cal BP in which humans used the cavity for funerary purposes. The DNA analysis of the human remain was assigned to mtDNA haplogroup K, which was originated in the Near East and reached western Europe through the Neolithic expansion. Human occupation during the Paleolithic has been ruled out, including Paleolithic human remains and any kind of anthropic intervention on the Hermann’s tortoise and leopard as was previously proposed at the site.1. Introduction 2. Historical background and objectives 3. Material and methods 3.1. Material 3.2. Methodological procedure 3.2.1. Stratigraphy 3.2.2. Micromorphology 3.2.3. Paleobiological analysis 3.2.4. Anthropological analysis 3.2.5. Molecular analysis 3.2.6. Taphonomy and zooarchaeology 3.2.7. Archaeological material: lithics and pottery 4. Geological and geochronological characterization 4.1. Stratigraphy and sediment characterization 4.2. Geochronology 4.3. Micromorphology 5. Paleontological analysis 5.1. Microvertebrates 5.2. Macrovertebrates 5.2.1. Internal Domain 5.2.2. External Domain 5.3. Human remains 5.3.1. Anthropological analysis 5.3.2. Paleogenetic analysis 6. Taphonomic and zooarchaeological analyses 6.1. Human remains 6.2. Faunal remains 6.2.1. Tortoise 6.2.2. Leopard 7. Material culture 7.1. Lithics 7.2. Pottery 8. Discussion 8.1. Depositional sequence and interpretation of geological processes 8.1.1. Allostratigraphic unit AU-1 8.1.2. Allostratigraphic unit AU-2 8.1.3. Allostratigraphic unit AU-3 8.1.4. Allostratigraphic unit AU-0 8.2. Chronological inferences 8.2.1. AU-0: External Domain (LU-E4/5) 8.2.2. AU-2: Internal Domain (LU-S3) 8.2.3. AU-3: superficial units 8.3. Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic implications 8.3.1. MIS-4/5 (AU-0: LU-E4/5) 8.3.2. MIS-3 (AU-2: LU-S3) 8.3.3. Chalcolithic (AU-3: LU-S1, LU-S2, LU-E1, LU-E2, LU...) 8.4. Site formation processes and origin of the skeletal accumulation 8.4.1. MIS-4/5 (AU-0: LU-E4/5) 8.4.2. MIS-3 (AU-2: LU-S3) 8.4.3. Holocene (AU-3: LU-S1, LU-S2, LU-E1, LU-E2, LU-T1, LU-T2) 9. Conclusion

The Upper Palaeolithic record of Coímbre Cave (Asturias, northern Spain). A symbolic place, a place for living

57th Annual Meeting in Heidenheim, 7-11 April 2015. Erlangen: Hugo Obermaier-Gesellschaft für Erforschung des Eiszeitalters und der Steinzeit e. V. = Hugo Obermaier Society for Quaternary Research and Archaeology of the Stone Age, 2015Coímbre cave (135 meters asl) is located on the southwestern slope of Mount Pendendo (532 m), in the small valley of Besnes river, tributary of Cares river, in a medium-higher mountain are in the central-western Cantabria –northern Iberian Peninsula- (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009; 2013b). The landscape in the surroundings of the cave –situated in an interior valley but near to the current coast in a low altitude- can be described as a mountainous environment where valleys, small hills and steep mountains with high slopes are integrated, which confer a relative variety of ecosystems to this area. Coímbre contains an important archaeological site divided in two different areas. B Area, is the farthest from the entrance, and is the place where took place the excavations carried out to date, between 2008 and 2012 (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009, 2011, 2013a, 2013b). Coímbre B shows a complete and very interesting Magdalenian sequence (with Lower, Middle and Upper Magdalenian levels), and a gravettian level, that converts this cave in one of the biggest habitat areas in western Cantabria. Its rich set of bone industries, mobiliar art and ornaments, provide key information that shows the connections between this area, the Pyrenees and the south-west of Aquitaine. Moreover, Coímbre cave presents an interesting set of Magdalenian engravings, located in different places of the cavity, both in open and accessible areas, and in narrower and inaccessible places, which clearly define two different symbolic spaces. All this artistic expressions belong to the Magdalenian, and it is possible to establish a division between a set of engravings framed in the first stages of this period (the most abundant and remote); and a more limited set of engravings, in which stand out a block with a engraving of a bison with a deep trace of more than one meter long, that belongs to the recent Magdalenian. This work presents the preliminary results of the analysis of Magdalenian occupations in Coímbre, after the end of the excavations in B Area, and the study of its rock art, shaping this site as one of the most important places of Magdalenian human activities in western Cantabria.Peer reviewe