REDD+ in Latin America: the case of Peru

The question of how developing countries like Peru can participate effectively in the REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) policy initiative of the United Nations has been the focus of considerable debate recently. The aim of this study was to detect the main challenges associated with monitoring deforestation and forest degradation and also to analyze the policy challenges associated with implementing REDD in Peru. To participate effectively in this process, it is essential that the Peruvian national government formulates a national response since it is unlikely that provincial agencies managing natural resources will be able to develop the necessary expertise to carry out effective monitoring, reporting and verification, and because the underlying factors driving deforestation will require a large investment and a coordinated response at the country level.La cuestión de cómo los países en vías de desarrollo como el Perú pueden participar efectivamente en el marco REDD+ (reducción de emisiones de la deforestación y degradación de bosques) de las Naciones Unidas ha sido el foco de considerables debates recientemente. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue detectar los principales aspectos de monitoreo de degradación forestal y decisiones políticas para enfrentar un proceso REDD en Perú. Para participar de manera efectiva en este proceso, es esencial que el gobierno nacional peruano formule una respuesta nacional ya que es poco probable que las entidades provinciales de manejo de recursos naturales puedan desarrollar la experiencia necesaria para efectuar el monitoreo eficaz y porque los factores subyacentes de la deforestación requieren de una gran inversión y una amplia visión a nivel país.Fil: Ladd, Brenton. University Of New South Wales; Australia. Universidad Científica del Sur; PerúFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

REDD+ en Latinoamérica: el caso de Perú

La cuestión de cómo los países en vías de desarrollo como el Perú pueden participar efectivamente en el marco REDD+ (reducción de emisiones de la deforestación y degradación de bosques) de las Naciones Unidas ha sido el foco de considerables debates recientemente. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue detectar los principales aspectos de monitoreo de degradación forestal y decisiones políticas para enfrentar un proceso REDD en Perú. Para participar de manera efectiva en este proceso, es esencial que el gobierno nacional peruano formule una respuesta nacional ya que es poco probable que las entidades provinciales de manejo de recursos naturales puedan desarrollar la experiencia necesaria para efectuar el monitoreo eficaz y porque los factores subyacentes de la deforestación requieren de una gran inversión y una amplia visión a nivel país.The question of how developing countries like Peru can participate effectively in the REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) policy initiative of the United Nations has been the focus of considerable debate recently. The aim of this study was to detect the main challenges associated with monitoring deforestation and forest degradation and also to analyze the policy challenges associated with implementing REDD in Peru. To participate effectively in this process, it is essential that the Peruvian national government formulates a national response since it is unlikely that provincial agencies managing natural resources will be able to develop the necessary expertise to carry out effective monitoring, reporting and verification, and because the underlying factors driving deforestation will require a large investment and a coordinated response at the country level.EEA Santa CruzFil: Ladd, Brenton. University of New South Wales. School of Biological. Earth and Environmental Sciences, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre; Australia. Universidad Científica del Sur. Escuela de Agroforestería; PerúFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Precipitation is the key determinant of topsoil δ15N values in southern Patagonia’s semiarid rangelands

Nitrogen (N) cycling in rangeland soils could potentially be controlled by water supply, stocking rates, or a range of other variables, such as ecosystem N stocks. To gauge the relative importance and elucidate possible interactions among these factors, we measured many abiotic variables to identify first-order controls of δ15N for Patagonia’s rangeland soils under contrasting historical grazing intensities. The results showed that δ15N values declined as water availability increased. The effects of precipitation and stocking rate on soil δ15N values were additive, and the effect of precipitation far outweighed the effects of grazing pressure. The soil N stock was a weak predictive variable for modeling variation in δ15N of the soil. Earlier assumptions about an inflection point for N cycling and δ15N values related to aridity were not confirmed. We conclude that variation in water availability drives variation in δ15N values irrespective of grazing intensity. We also conclude that meaningful interpretation of δ15N in soil will require a better mechanistic understanding of the interactions between water and N in the vadose zone than we currently possess.EEA Santa CruzFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Duarte Guardia, Sandra. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.Fil: Duarte Guardia, Sandra. Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA). Laboratorio Nacional de Suelos, Aguas y Foliares-LABSAF; Perú.Fil: Amelung, Wulf. University of Bonn. Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES). Soil Science and Soil Ecology; AlemaniaFil: Ladd, Brenton. Universidad Científica del Sur. Escuela de Agroforestería; Perú

Key factors determining biochar sorption capacity for metal contaminants: a literature synthesis

The sorption capacity and affinity of biochar for metals are both important attributes that determine biochar’s suitability as a soil amendment for contaminant mitigation, yet few analyses have considered both characteristics simultaneously. We present a systematic review of literature published between 2010 and 2018 to test the hypothesis that sorption capacity and affinity are affected by biochar properties, attributes of the metal contaminant, and experimental conditions, in that order. We used random forest (RF) and multi-objective optimization to analyze data of 559 individual Langmuir adsorption isotherms extracted from 133 studies covering the sorption capacity (Cmax) and affinity (KL) of biochar for 17 different metals, elaborated from six different feedstock classes, three different types of feedstock pretreatment, and five types of post-pyrolysis treatment. Highest sorption values were obtained for Pb(II), Cr(IV), and Cd(II). The feedstock used was the key determinant influencing biochar’s capacity and affinity to sorb metal contaminants (first and fourth most important variable in RF models for Cmax and KL, respectively) with best results obtained for biochar elaborated from nutrient-dense feedstocks (animal biowaste, sludge, and manure). Biochars that had both high sorption capacity and affinity were the result of a longer duration of pyrolysis; they had lower C and higher N and O content, as well as lower C/N and higher O/C and H/C ratios, higher pore volumes and higher pH. Applying some form of pretreatment was better than none, whereas chemical modification was the best of the post-treatment methods analyzed. This review demonstrates clearly that multiple parameters during the preparation process influence the effectiveness of biochar to immobilize metal contaminants. Future research that focuses on mechanisms and the underlying factors for the correlations observed should allow the development of biochar formulations that are even more effective at immobilizing metal contaminants in soils and sediments

Flame curtain kilns produce biochar from dry biomass with minimal methane emissions

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Carbon footprint of lamb and Wool production at farm gate and the regional sale in southern Patagonia

Natural steppe grasslands are the principal food resource for sheep in the Patagonia region, reared for meat and wool. However, there is currently a concern about the relationship between ruminant livestock and climate change due to its contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objective of this study was to determine the carbon footprints (CF) of sheep meat (lamb) and wool on a range of farms using empirical data collected on farm and then upscaled to the regional scale using models that use topographic, climatic, and vegetation indices as independent variables. At the regional level, the total CF of lamb and wool (the combination of emissions produced on farm, via transport, and via industrial processing) varied from 10.64 to 41.32 kg CO2-eq/kg for lamb meat (carcass) and from 7.83 to 18.70 kg CO2-eq/kg for fine-grade wool. For both, the predominant contribution was from primary production on-farm (75–90%), followed by industrial processing (2–15%), and transportation. We used multiple regression models to produce maps of lamb and wool CF at farm gate across Santa Cruz province. The model for variation of lamb CF explained 95% of the variance on the data and the most significant predictor variables were temperature seasonality and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, dimensionless). The most important variables for the model of CF of greasy wool production at farm gate were isothermality, temperature seasonality, and NDVI explained 98%. The lowest CF values of both products (lamb and wool) were located in more productive grasslands. The successful management of livestock GHG emissions becomes an important challenge to the scientific, commercial, and policy communities. The results of CF for lamb and wool production found in the present work assist in characterizing the greenhouse gas emissions profile of livestock products in Southern Patagonia by providing a baseline against which mitigation actions can be planned and progress monitoredEEA SANTA CRUZFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA). Santa Cruz; Argentina.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Rosas, Yamina Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC). Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego; Argentina.Fil: Ladd, Brenton. Universidad Científica del Sur. Escuela de Agroforestería. Lima; Perú.Fil: Díaz-Delgado, Ricardo. Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC). Laboratorio de SIG y Teledetección. Sevilla; España.Fil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC).Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego; Argentina

Soil carbon is a useful surrogate for conservation planning in developing nations

Defining the optimal placement of areas for biodiversity conservation in developing nations remains a significant challenge. Our best methods for spatially targeting potential locations for biodiversity conservation rely heavily on extensive georeferenced species observation data which is often incomplete or lacking in developing nations. One possible solution is the use of surrogates that enable site assessments of potential biodiversity values which use either indicator taxa or abiotic variables, or both. Among the plethora of abiotic variables, soil carbon has previously been identified as a potentially powerful predictor for threatened biodiversity, but this has not yet been confirmed with direct observational data. Here we assess the potential value of soil carbon for spatial prediction of threatened species using direct measurements as well as a wide range of GIS derived abiotic values as surrogates for threatened plant species in the PEBANPA network of permanent plots in Southern Patagonia. We find that soil carbon significantly improves the performance of a biodiversity surrogate elaborated using abiotic variables to predict the presence of threatened species. Soil carbon could thus help to prioritize sites in conservation planning. Further, the results suggest that soil carbon on its own can be a much better surrogate than other abiotic variables when prioritization of sites for conservation are calibrated on increasingly small sets of observation plots. We call for the inclusion of soil carbon data in the elaboration of surrogates used to optimize conservation investments in the developing world.EEA Santa CruzFil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lasagno, Romina Gisele. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas. Laboratorio de Recursos Agroforestales; ArgentinaFil: Atkinson, Rachel. Bioversity International; PerúFil: Thomas, Evert. Bioversity International; PerúFil: Ladd, Brenton. University of New South Wales. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Evolution and Ecology Research Centre; Australia. Universidad Científica del Sur. Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales; Per

Modeling Soil Nitrogen Content in South Patagonia across a Climate Gradient, Vegetation Type, and Grazing

Soil total nitrogen (N) stock in rangelands, shrublands, and forests support key ecological functions such as the capacity of the land to sustain plant and animal productivity and ecosystem services. The objective of this study was to model soil total N stocks and soil C/N ratio from 0-30 cm depth across the region using freely accessible information on topography, climate, and vegetation with a view to establishing a baseline against which sustainable land management practices can be evaluated in Southern Patagonia. We used stepwise multiple regression to determine which independent variables best explained soil totalNvariation across the landscape in Southern Patagonia. We then used multiple regression models to upscale and produce maps of soil total N and C/N across the Santa Cruz province. Soil total N stock to 30 cm ranged from 0.13 to 2.21 kg N m-2, and soil C/N ratios ranged from 4.5 to 26.8. The model for variation of soil total N stock explained 88% of the variance on the data and the most powerful predictor variables were: isothermality, elevation, and vegetation cover (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). Soil total N and soil C/N ratios were allocated to three categories (low, medium, high) and these three levels were used to map the variation of soil total N and soil C/N ratios across Southern Patagonia. The results demonstrate that soil total N decreases as desertification increases, probably due to erosional processes, and that soil C/N is lower at low temperatures and increased with increasing precipitation. Soil total N and soil C/N ratios are critical variables that determine system capacity for productivity, especially the provisioning ecosystem services, and can serve as baselines against which efforts to adopt more sustainable land management practices in Patagonia can be assessed.Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Cruz. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Rosas, Yamina Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Ladd, Brenton. Universidad Científica del Sur; PerúFil: Toledo, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Cruz. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santa Cruz; ArgentinaFil: Lasagno, Romina G.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentin

DETERMINACIÓN DEL EFECTO DEL BIOCARBÓN EN MOVILIDAD DEL MERCURIO EN SISTEMA SUELO-PLANTA

La contaminación de suelos peruanos por uso indiscriminado de mercurio conlleva al riesgo de absorción del metal por las plantas cercanas a estos suelos y en consecuencia posiblemente a toda la cadena trófica del lugar. Es por eso que con esta investigación se hace un esfuerzo por encontrar soluciones costo-efectivas y amigables con el medio ambiente, como el uso de biocarbón (BC), que favorezcan la retención e inmovilización del mercurio en el suelo. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la eficiencia en la retención de Hg en el suelo de cuatro tipos de biocarbón compostado, evaluando las diferencias entre los diferentes tipos de biocarbón generados a dos temperaturas (300 y 680°C) y activados con adición de ácido fosfórico (0,1 L•kg-1) o no activado. Se calculó el Coeficiente de Absorción Biológica (BAC), el cual mide la distribución del metal en el sistema suelo-planta. El BAC correspondiente al biocarbón producido a alta temperatura (680°C) resultó significativamente menor con respecto al producido a baja temperatura (300°C), promoviendo la retención del metal en el suelo. El efecto del ácido fosfórico en la activación del BC no obtuvo resultados significativos en la retención del mercurio. Se observó que el BC producido a baja temperatura promovió mayor fitoextracción del mercurio por la planta. Mayor investigación es necesaria para evaluar diferentes materias primas para la fabricación de varios tipos de biocarbón con distintas propiedades y experimentar con diferentes compuestos de mercurio

Biochar research activities and their relation to development and environmental quality. A meta-analysis

Biochar is the solid product that results from pyrolysis of organic materials. Its addition to highly weathered soils changes physico-chemical soil properties, improves soil functions and enhances crop yields. Highly weathered soils are typical of humid tropics where agricultural productivity is low and needs to be raised to reduce human hunger and poverty. However, impact of biochar research on scientists, politicians and end-users in poor tropical countries remains unknown; assessing needs and interests on biochar is essential to develop reliable knowledge transfer/translation mechanisms. The aim of this publication is to present results of a meta-analysis conducted to (1) survey global biochar research published between 2010 and 2014 to assess its relation to human development and environmental quality, and (2) deduce, based on the results of this analysis, priorities required to assess and promote the role of biochar in the development of adapted and sustainable agronomic methods. Our main findings reveal for the very first time that: (1) biochar research associated with less developed countries focused on biochar production technologies (26.5 ± 0.7%), then on biochars’ impact on chemical soil properties (18.7 ± 1.2%), and on plant productivity (17.1 ± 2.6%); (2) China dominated biochar research activities among the medium developed countries focusing on biochar production technologies (26.8 ± 0.5%) and on use of biochar as sorbent for organic and inorganic compounds (29.1 ± 0.4%); and (3) the majority of biochar research (69.0±2.9%) was associated with highly developed countries that are able to address a higher diversity of questions. Evidently, less developed countries are eager to improve soil fertility and agricultural productivity, which requires transfer and/or translation of biochar knowledge acquired in highly developed countries. Yet, improving local research capacities and encouraging synergies across scientific disciplines and countries are crucial to foster development of sustainable agronomy in less developed countries. © 2017, The Author(s)