2 research outputs found
The water-energy-food nexus in biodiversity conservation: A systematic review around sustainability transitions of agricultural systems
The Water Energy Food nexus is a powerful topic in agricultural systems to elucidate threats to biodiversity conservation and culture. This paper aimed to recapitulate nexus thinking research, focusing on social-ecological transitions of agriculture systems and biodiversity management within the Water-Energy-Food nexus. We developed a systematic review and a bibliometric analysis derived from 529 documents in the Scopus database. The ToS method identified a total of 81 relevant information in the sample of documents (529) categorised into roots (10), trunks (9) and leaves (62). This review paper situates types, focus, and highlights regarding biodiversity and prevalent thematic research areas such as “Food Nexus”, “Environmental Flows”, “Sustainability”, “Transitions”, and “Governance”. Our results suggest that future research should focus on the nexus of “Water-Energy-Food-Biodiversity” and propose a transdisciplinary approach to elucidate the state of sustainability transitions in the agricultural systems at the landscape level. It could increase stakeholder interest in conservation, and sustainability management, to reverse biodiversity losses in ecosystems
Prioritization of useful plant species to boost conservation and bioeconomy in Colombia: a case study in three biodiverse areas
A new big challenge for megadiverse countries is to develop in a sustainable way, while leveraging their economies and the conservation of ecosystems. Colombia is in search of nature-based solutions that help to improve local livelihoods and strengthen conservation projects, especially in biodiverse regions with historically complex socio-economic contexts. Creating Value Chain Networks (VCN) from sustainably harvested Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP), transformed into Natural Ingredients (NI) and final products, might contribute to buffer the transformation pressure of ecosystems in hotspots of deforestation. A community-based prioritization process was conducted in three biodiverse areas of Colombia to understand the NTFP and NI obtained from native useful plant species potential to boost Colombia’s bioeconomy. Through interdisciplinary methodologies that involved both social and natural sciences, 30 species with corresponding NTFP and NI were prioritized (10 for each pilot area). An extensive taxonomic and use diversity was found, from which the most representative families were Arecaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Marantaceae, and the most important plant use category reported was food. When data was complemented with local surveys and literature review, a final matrix of prioritized species emerged and a 20-year agenda of implementation is proposed. This might be the first time in Colombia where suitable species and products that accomplish sustainability criteria are prioritized based on the community's traditional knowledge and the scientific evidence. Based on this new evidence, decision-makers and environmental government institutions are encouraged to use this information to focus their development agendas and research projects.Un nuevo gran desafío para los países megadiversos es desarrollarse de manera sostenible, apalancando sus economías y la conservación de los ecosistemas. Colombia está en la búsqueda de soluciones basadas en la naturaleza que ayuden a mejorar los medios de vida locales y fortalecer los proyectos de conservación, especialmente en regiones biodiversas con contextos socioeconómicos históricamente complejos. La creación de Redes de Cadenas de Valor (VCN) a partir de Productos Forestales No Maderables (PFNM) cosechados de manera sostenible, transformados en Ingredientes Naturales (NI) y productos finales, podría contribuir a amortiguar la presión de transformación de los ecosistemas en los puntos críticos de deforestación. Se llevó a cabo un proceso de priorización basado en la comunidad en tres áreas biodiversas de Colombia para comprender el potencial de PFNM y NI obtenido de las especies de plantas nativas útiles para impulsar la bioeconomía de Colombia. A través de metodologías interdisciplinarias que involucraron tanto a las ciencias sociales como a las naturales, se priorizaron 30 especies con sus correspondientes PFNM y NI (10 para cada área piloto). Se encontró una amplia diversidad taxonómica y de usos, de las cuales las familias más representativas fueron Arecaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae y Marantaceae, y la categoría de uso vegetal más importante reportada fue alimento. Cuando los datos se complementaron con encuestas locales y revisión de la literatura, surgió una matriz final de especies prioritarias y se propone una agenda de implementación de 20 años. Esta podría ser la primera vez en Colombia donde se priorizan especies y productos aptos que cumplan con criterios de sostenibilidad con base en el conocimiento tradicional de la comunidad y la evidencia científica. Con base en esta nueva evidencia, se alienta a los tomadores de decisiones y las instituciones gubernamentales ambientales a utilizar esta información para enfocar sus agendas de desarrollo y proyectos de investigación.Bogotá D.C