Can scenario-planning support community-based natural resource management? Experiences from three countries in latin america

Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) is a concept critical to managing socio-ecological systems, but whose implementation needs strengthening. Scenario-planning is one approach that may offer benefits relevant to CBNRM, but whose potential is not yet well understood. We therefore designed, trialled and evaluated a scenario-planning method intended to support CBNRM at three cases, located in Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. Implementing scenario-planning was judged as worthwhile in all three cases, although aspects of it could be challenging to facilitate. The benefits generated were relevant to strengthening CBNRM: encouraging the participation of local people and using their knowledge; enhanced consideration and adaption of future change; and supporting the development of systems thinking. Tracing exactly when and how these benefits arise is challenging, but two elements of the method seemed particularly useful. Firstly, using a systematic approach to discuss how drivers of change may affect local socio-ecological systems helped to foster systems thinking and identify connections between issues. Secondly, explicitly focusing on how to use and respond to scenarios helped identify specific practical activities ('response options') that would support CBNRM despite the pressures of future change. Discussions about response options also highlighted the need for support by other actors (e.g. policy groups): this raises the question of when and how other actors and other sources of knowledge should be involved in scenario-planning, so as to encourage their buy-in to actions identified by the process. We suggest other CBNRM initiatives may benefit from adapting and applying scenario-planning. However, these initiatives should be carefully monitored since further research is required to understand how and when scenario-planning methods may produce benefits, and their strengths and weaknesses versus other methods

Epidemiology and pathogenesis of maternal-fetal transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi and a case for vaccine development against congenital Chagas disease

Trypanos o ma cruzi (T. cruzi or Tc) is the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD). It is common for patients to suffer from non-specific symptoms or be clinically asymptomatic with acute and chronic conditions acquired through various routes of transmission. The expecting women and their fetuses are vulnerable to congenital transmission of Tc. Pregnant women face formidable health challenges because the frontline antiparasitic drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are contraindicated during pregnancy. However, it is worthwhile to highlight that newborns can be cured if they are diagnosed and given treatment in a timely manner. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of maternal-fetal transmission of Tc and provide a justification for the investment in the development of vaccines against congenital CD.Fil: Rios, Lizette. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados UnidosFil: Campos, Emiliano Emanuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Menon, Ramkumar. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados UnidosFil: Zago, María Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Patología Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Instituto de Patología Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Garg, Nisha J.. University of Texas Medical Branch; Estados Unido

A combined DPSIR and SAF approach for the adaptive management of beach erosion in Monte Hermoso and Pehuen Co (Argentina)

Coastal areas experience multiple pressures from anthropogenic activities that negatively change the ecological and environmental status of beaches and impact human welfare. The focus of this paper is coastal erosion, an issue that is very relevant for Argentina, the second largest nation in Latin America with an extensive coastline of nearly 5000 km. Coastal erosion decreases the attractiveness of coastal areas for tourism development, leading to considerable economic impacts. In this paper, two complementary approaches, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) and the Systems Approach Framework (SAF), were used to analyse two beach resorts in Argentina: Monte Hermoso and Pehuen Co. Application of the SAF included stakeholder mapping, governance (institutional) mapping and issue identification. During the participatory meetings with stakeholders and decision makers, the problem of coastal erosion was identified as the most important in the region. The joint approach of DPSIR and SAF contributed to: (i) the determination and description of the economic drivers of coastal erosion; (ii) the identification of the associated activities and pressures; (iii) the assessment of the ecological and environmental state of coastal areas; (iv) the assessment of impacts of environmental changes on human wellbeing; and finally (v) a proposal of the possible management responses for mitigating the coastal erosion problem and the sustainable development of the region to the responsible authorities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.EC 7FP Grant [282845, 308392]ERASMUS MUNDUS programme EMJD MACOM