Finding common grounds for conflict resolution through value analysis of stakeholders around the socio-ecological crisis of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Spain)

Aligning with people’s values in landscape political decisions can help to minimise conflicts between stakeholders and support social acceptability of solutions for systemic transitions. This paper explores how shared and diverging values of the main stakeholders involved in socio-ecological crises, and the co-creation of solutions, can be key for finding common grounds for conflict resolution and sustainable socio-ecosystems management. These concepts were applied by a participatory process to identify and select solutions for the environmental and socio-economic crisis of the Mar Menor coastal lagoon and its watershed (SE Spain). With information from six sectorial workshops and one multisector workshop, a stakeholder analysis based on values and initiatives was performed. The results indicate that all the stakeholder groups prioritised transition to governance, economic and educational models that respect nature and cultural landscapes, with values aligning with the population’s identity and their livelihoods. The values and solutions linked with stakeholders ‘Farmers’, which representedCOASTAL 773782 (H2020 European Commission)AGRI_SER PID2020-119825RB-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation)AGROALNEXT (PRTR-C17.I1)THINKINAZUL (C17.I01) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and InnovationEuropean Union NextGenerationEUFundación S´eneca (Region of Murcia)María Zambrano postdoctoral grant by the Spanish Ministry of Universitie

Wind Data Mining by Kohonen Neural Networks

Time series of Circulation Weather Type (CWT), including daily averaged wind direction and vorticity, are self-classified by similarity using Kohonen Neural Networks (KNN). It is shown that KNN is able to map by similarity all 7300 five-day CWT sequences during the period of 1975–94, in London, United Kingdom. It gives, as a first result, the most probable wind sequences preceding each one of the 27 CWT Lamb classes in that period. Inversely, as a second result, the observed diffuse correlation between both five-day CWT sequences and the CWT of the 6(th) day, in the long 20-year period, can be generalized to predict the last from the previous CWT sequence in a different test period, like 1995, as both time series are similar. Although the average prediction error is comparable to that obtained by forecasting standard methods, the KNN approach gives complementary results, as they depend only on an objective classification of observed CWT data, without any model assumption. The 27 CWT of the Lamb Catalogue were coded with binary three-dimensional vectors, pointing to faces, edges and vertex of a “wind-cube,” so that similar CWT vectors were close

The combination of crop diversification and no tillage enhances key soil quality parameters related to soil functioning without compromising crop yields in a low-input rainfed almond orchard under semiarid Mediterranean conditions

Soils provide key ecosystem services and are crucial to combat climate change. Agriculture provides important ecosystem services but also causes negative environmental effects depending on agricultural management. In this regard, crop diversification is a promising sustainable land management strategy to combat soil erosion and degradation, mitigate climate change and ensure food security. Here, we assess the combined short-term effects of crop diversification and no tillage on several key soil physico-chemical parameters related to soil functioning as well as on crop yields in a rainfed almond (Prunus dulcis Mill.) orchard under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Almond trees were inter-cropped with Capparis spinosa L. (caper) or Thymus hyemalis Lange (winter thyme) and compared with the almond monocrop system. The experimental design consisted of three plots in a randomized-block design, with three replicates for each crop management treatment (almond monocrop, almond inter-cropped with caper, and almond inter-cropped with winter thyme). Along with crop yields, the combined effects of crop diversification and no tillage on a range of soil quality and health indicators including soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability, water retention and availability) and chemical (total and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate content, available macro- and micro-nutrients) properties were monitored in the topsoil and subsoil (at 0–10 and 10–30 cm depth, respectively) one and three years from establishment.EEA Delta del ParanáFil: Almagro, María. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura; EspañaFil: Díaz-Pereira, Elvira. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura; EspañaFil: Boix-Fayos, Carolina. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura; EspañaFil: Zornoza, Raúl. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena. Departamento de Ingeniería Agronómica; EspañaFil: Sánchez-Navarro, Virginia. Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena. Departamento de Ingeniería Agronómica; EspañaFil: Re, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Delta del Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Re, Paula. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Cristina. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura; EspañaFil: Martínez-Mena, María. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura; Españ

Perennial alley cropping contributes to decrease soil CO2 and N2O emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration in a Mediterranean almond orchard

The implementation of alley cropping in orchards can be a sustainable strategy to increase farm productivity by crop diversification and contribute to climate change mitigation. In this research, we evaluated the short-term effect of alley cropping with reduced tillage on soil CO2 and N2O emissions and soil total organic carbon (TOC) in an almond orchard under Mediterranean rainfed conditions. We compared an almond monoculture with tillage in all plot surface (MC) with almond crop with reduced tillage and growth of Capparis spinosa (D1) and almond crop with reduced tillage and growth of Thymus hyemalis (D2). For two years, soil CO2 and N2O were measured, with soil sampling at the start and end of the experimental period. Results showed that CO2 emission rates followed the soil temperature pattern, while N2O emissions were not correlated with temperature nor moisture. Soil CO2 emissions were significantly higher in MC (87 mg m−2 h−1), with no significant differences between D1 and D2 (69 mg m−2 h−1). Some peaks in CO2 effluxes were observed after tillage operations during warm days. Soil N2O emission rates were not significantly different among treatments. Cumulative CO2 and CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions were significantly highest in MC. When CO2e emissions were expressed on a crop production basis, D2 showed the significantly lowest values (5080 g kg−1) compared to D1 (50,419 g kg−1) and MC (87,836 g kg−1), owing to the high thyme yield, additional to the almond yield. No production was obtained for C. spinosa, since at least two more years are required. TOC did not change with time in MC neither D1, but it significantly increased in D2 from 3.85 g kg−1 in 2019 to 4.62 g kg−1 in 2021. Thus, alley cropping can contribute to increase the agroecosystem productivity and reduce CO2 emissions. However, it is necessary to grow evergreen alley crops such as thyme to obtain short-term increases in soil organic matter. Thus, to estimate increases in TOC with alley cropping, the plantation density and the period required by the crop to cover most of the surface are essential factors at planning the cropping strategy.This work was supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project Diverfarming [grant agreement 728003]

Carbon redistribution by erosion processes in an intensively disturbed catchment

29 Pags.- 6 Tabls.- 6 Figs. This article belongs to a special issue of Catena titled "Geoecology in Mediterranean mountain areas. Tribute to Professor José María García Ruiz". The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03418162Understanding how organic carbon (OC) moves with sediments along the fluvial system is crucial to determining catchment scale carbon budgets and helps the proper management of fragile ecosystems. Especially challenging is the analysis of OC dynamics during fluvial transport in heterogeneous, fragile, and disturbed environments with ephemeral and intense hydrological pulses, typical of Mediterranean conditions. This paper explores the catchment scale OC redistribution by lateral flows in extreme Mediterranean environmental conditions, from a geomorphological perspective. The study area is a catchment (Cárcavo) in SE Spain with a semiarid climate, erodible lithologies, and shallow soils, which is highly disturbed by agricultural terraces, land levelling, reforestation, and construction of check-dams. To increase our understanding of catchment scale OC redistribution induced by erosion, we studied in detail the subcatchments of eight check-dams distributed along the catchments main channel. We determined 137Cs, physicochemical characteristics, and the OC pools of the catchment soils and sediments deposited behind each check-dam, performed spatial analysis of catchment properties and buffer areas around the check-dams, and carried out geomorphological analysis of the slope-channel connections. The soils showed very low total organic carbon (TOC) values, oscillating between 15.2 and 4.4 g kg− 1 for forest and agricultural soils, respectively. Sediments mobilized by erosion were poor in TOC (6.6 ± 0.7 g kg– 1) compared to the eroded (forest) soils, and the redistribution of OC through the catchment, especially of the mineral associated organic carbon (MAC) pool, showed the same pattern as clay particles and 137Cs. The TOC erosion rates estimated for the Cárcavo watershed are relatively low (0.031 ± 0.03 Mg ha− 1 y− 1) but similar to those reported for subhumid Mediterranean catchments that are less fragile and more conducive to plant growth. The TOC erosion/total erosion ratio was lower (0.06%) than other estimates, although the average OC concentration of the sediments was higher than that of the agricultural soils of the catchment, underlining the problem of maintaining sustainable soil OC contents. The OC in deposited sediments came not only from surface erosion processes, but also from deeper soil or sediment layers mobilized by concentrated erosion processes. Sediment richer in OC came from the surface soil of vegetated (reforested) areas close and well connected to the channels. Subcatchments dominated by laminar erosion processes showed a TOC erosion/total erosion ratio that was two times higher than that of subcatchments dominated by concentrated flow erosion processes. The lithology, soils, and geomorphology exert a more important control on OC redistribution than land use and vegetation cover in this geomorphologically very active catchment.This work was financially supported by the projects ADAPT (CGL2013-42009-R) and DISECO (CGL2014-55-405-R) from the Spanish Government, National Plan of Science; the project CAMBIO (18933/JLI/13) of the Seneca Foundation, Regional Government of Murcia (Spain); and the project SOGLO (P7/24 IAP BELSPO) from the Belgian Government. Joris de Vente was supported by a ‘Ramón y Cajal’ grant (RYC-2012-10375).Peer reviewe

Reduced salivary oxytocin after an empathic induction task in intimate partner violence perpetrators: importance of socio-affective functions and its impact on prosocial behavior

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has been linked to difficulties in socio-affective functions. Nevertheless, the underlying psychobiological mechanisms that might be responsible for them remain unclear. Oxytocin (OXT) stands out as an important hormone that may favor the salience of social information, due to its relevance in empathy and prosocial behavior. Thus, the study of salivary OXT (sOXT) may provide further information about potential impairments in social cognition in IPV perpetrators. This study analyzed the effects of an empathic induction task, performed through negative emotion-eliciting videos, on endogenous sOXT levels, mood state, and emotional perception in 30 IPV perpetrators compared to 32 controls. Additionally, we explored their performance on prosocial behavior after the empathic induction task, using Hare's donation procedure. Lower sOXT levels were found in IPV perpetrators after the task compared to controls, along with a general decreasing tendency in their sOXT levels. Additionally, IPV perpetrators exhibited no change in their mood state and perceived others' emotions as more positive and less intense. Moreover, the mood state response and alexithymia traits, respectively, positively and negatively predicted the sOXT levels after the empathic induction task in the entire sample. Finally, we did not observe a lower appearance of prosocial behaviors in IPV perpetrators; however, higher sOXT levels after the empathic induction task were found in subjects who donated when considering the whole sample. In sum, IPV perpetrators exhibited differences in their sOXT levels when empathizing, compared to controls, with alexithymia and the emotional response potentially explaining the sOXT levels after the task. Furthermore, prosocial behavior was more related to these sOXT levels than to IPV. As our knowledge about the emotional processing of IPV perpetrators increases, we will be better able to develop and include coadjutant treatments in current psychotherapeutic programs, in order to focus on their emotional needs, which, in turn, would reduce the future risk of recidivism

Del péndulo simple al reloj de péndulo

Presentamos una propuesta para profundizar en las características del trabajo científico. Partiendo del estudio de las oscilaciones de un péndulo simple conseguimos construir un reloj de péndulo que mide correctamente el transcurso del tiempo

Soil greenhouse gas emissions and crop production with implementation of alley cropping in a Mediterranean citrus orchard

The implementation of alley cropping in orchards has been suggested as a sustainable strategy to increase farmer revenues by crop diversification, enhance soil organic matter (SOM) and fertility, water retention, overall biodiversity, and contribute to climate change mitigation. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess if alley cropping with annual crops can contribute to i) mitigate soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, ii) enhance C sequestration in a semiarid Mediterranean irrigated citrus orchard, and iii) increase land productivity. For this, two different treatments were established: i) conventional mandarin monoculture (MC) with no alley cropping; and ii) mandarin diversified with alley cropping of barley/vetch and fava bean (DIV). Measurements of soil CO2 and N2O emissions were periodically performed (every 7–20 days) during two years. Soil CO2 emission rates followed the soil moisture trend, and showed no significant differences between treatments. As an average, soil CO2 emission rates were 147 mg m-2 h-1 in MC and 196 mg m-2 h-1 in DIV. Soil N2O emission rates were not correlated to soil moisture nor temperature, and showed average values of 0.026 mg m-2 h-1 in MC and − 0.002 mg m-2 h-1 in DIV. Alley cropping did not contribute to significantly increase soil organic C and total nitrogen in two years’ time. With regard to production, mandarin yield showed no significant differences between treatments, but alley crops contributed to complementary commodities to the main cash crop, increasing overall land productivity. Thus, alley cropping in irrigated Mediterranean orchards has no significant effect on soil C sequestration and GHG emissions at short-term, with increased land productivity owing to new commodities grown in the alleys. These results confirm that under semiarid Mediterranean climate, long periods are needed to efficiently assess soil C sequestration potential of sustainable practices in orchards.This work was supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Project Diverfarming [Grant agreement 728003]. Raúl Zornoza acknowledges the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the “Ramón y Cajal” Program [RYC-2015-18758]

Long-term adoption of reduced tillage and green manure improves soil physicochemical properties and increases the abundance of beneficial bacteria in a Mediterranean rainfed almond orchard

Soil health and function is one of the most important components for sustainable management of woody orchards. Intensive use of machinery and tillage creates heavy pressure on agroecosystems by altering the soil physicochemical and biological characteristics. In this study we aimed to assess the changes in soil physicochemical properties and the soil bacterial community structure, as well as the main drivers involved in shifts in the microbial community following 10 years implementing reduced tillage and reduced tillage plus green manure in a rainfed Mediterranean almond orchard. The treatments were: i) conventional tillage (CT); ii) reduced tillage (RT); and iii) reduced tillage and diversification with Avena sativa and Vicia sativa (RTD). After ten years, the results showed that the different managements had no significant effect on almond yields. RTD significantly increased total organic carbon (TOC), with an average content of 19.5 g kg−1 compared to 17.1 g kg−1 in CT. RTD also contributed to an increase in the fraction of soil macro-aggregates. Both RT and RTD significantly increased soil total nitrogen (NT) and particulate organic carbon (POC). However, other physical and chemical variables such as exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, bioavailable Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn, cation exchange capacity, bulk density, wilting point and field capacity were not significantly affected by the management. The bacterial community significantly changed with management: RTD showed a higher relative abundance of the family Solirubrobacteraceae and the genera Streptomyces and Solirubrobacter. The bacterial community structure was explained by changes in TOC, POC, pH, and NT values. Thus, a combination of reduced tillage and green manure could represent an appropriate sustainable management for rainfed almond orchards in very fragile environmental conditions, due to an increase in soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and the higher presence of beneficial bacteria related to soil productivity.This work was supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 project Diverfarming [grant agreement 728003]. We acknowledge the owners of the farm “Los Alhagüeces”, Antonio and Pepe Escámez, for generously letting us work in their farm for the last 12 years