Codifying and commodifying nature: Narratives on forest property rights and the implementation of tenure regularization policies in Northwestern Argentina

Environmental resource management requires negotiation among state and non-state actors with conflicting goals and different levels of influence. In northwestern Argentina, forest policy implementation is described as weak, due to governance structure and ambiguities in the law. We studied how policy actors’ attitudes and their positions in the forest governance network relate to the implementation of land tenure regularization in a context where land tenure regularization is at the core of struggles over environmental policies. We focused on the Chaco Salteño part of the Gran Chaco ecosystem, one of the world’s major deforestation frontiers. We argue that the presence of weak advocacy coalitions requires an analysis of agency to understand this policy process. Our policy network analysis revealed a lack of clear contrasting factions, due to a core–periphery structure. The core of the network brings together all core beliefs but not all of the most influential actors. Assessing network centrality and reputational influence enabled us to identify actors with exceptional agency. We contribute to the debates on advocacy coalitions and on land tenure by distinguishing between attitudes toward tenure regularization policies and their actual implementation in a context where actors have diverging interests and objectives

Talking about trees: the territorial classification of native forests in the Argentinian Chaco

Deforestation represents an important contributor to climate change. For this reason, identifying conditions that enable the adoption of policies halting or reversing this process is crucial to avoid catastrophic climate change. The Argentinian Gran Chaco is a hotspot of deforestation, mainly due to the expansion of capital-intensive agriculture. In Argentina, the introduction of the national forest law (NFL) represents an important step to protect the remaining forests. However, in the Chaco ecoregion, the implementation of the NFL by the different provinces is extremely heterogeneous. Previous research has provided rich descriptions of the dynamics behind the implementation of the NFL. Yet this research, mainly based on qualitative approaches, does not allow for a systematic analysis of the conditions leading to more or less stringent implementations of the NFL. To address this gap, we first combine the socio-ecological systems framework with historical materialism to generate a plausible hypothesis for the heterogeneous implementation of the NFL across the 12 different provinces of the Argentinian Chaco. Specifically, we hypothesise that it is the differences in contextual factors (i.e. differences in forest cover), material/economic conditions (i.e. presence and extent of capital-intensive agriculture) and the strength of pro- and anti-deforestation coalitions, which lead to a heterogeneous territorial classification of native forests across the various provinces. Subsequently, we test the hypothesis by developing thorough case studies via qualitative comparative analysis. This approach allows us to study in a more systematic way the reasons for the observed institutional heterogeneity. The results show that the proportion of native forests characterised as of low conservation value reflects both the environmental context (i.e. the extent of native forests) as well as the material/economic conditions (i.e. the extent of capital-intensive agriculture) and the presence of strong pro-deforestation cultures, expressed via pro-deforestation coalitions

Collaborative governance networks: A case study of argentina’s forest law

Deforestation causes biodiversity loss and the eviction of small-scale ranchers and indigenous people. Accordingly, it is a global issue in environmental politics. This article analyzes a participatory governance system associated with the implementation of Argentina’s forest law in a hotspot of deforestation: the province of Salta in the Gran Chaco ecoregion. Specifically, this article investigates policy actors’ core beliefs, how they match with policy network clusters, and how this affects the implementation of the forest law. The study is based on a unique data set derived from extensive fieldwork and a network survey among all actors who participate in the policy forums. After defining three main core beliefs that describe policy actors’ motivations, we systematically analyze all key actors’ beliefs as well as their interactions in the various policy networks. This analysis shows that it is necessary to empirically identify coalitions based on both behavior and core beliefs to understand the limited implementation of the law. Our methodological approach holds promise for the analysis of other governance systems where multiple stakeholders engage in consensus-oriented decision-making

Prediction of soil physical and chemical properties by visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the Central Amazon.

Visible and near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VIS-NIR) has shown levels of accuracy comparable to conventional laboratory methods for estimating soil properties. Soil chemical and physical properties have been predicted by reflectance spectroscopy successfully on subtropical and temperate soils, whereas soils from tropical agro-forest regions have received less attention, especially those from tropical rainforests. A spectral characterization provides a proficient pathway for soil characterization. The first step in this process is to develop a comprehensive VIS-NIR soil library of multiple key soil properties to be used in future soil surveys. This paper presents the first VIS-NIR soil library for a remote region in the Central Amazon. We evaluated the performance of VIS-NIR for the prediction of soil properties in the Central Amazon, Brazil. Soil properties measured and predicted were: pH, Ca, Mg, Al, H, H+Al, P, organic C (SOC), sum of bases, cation exchange capacity (CEC), percentage of base saturation (V), Al saturation (m), clay, sand, silt, silt/clay (S/C), and degree of flocculation. Soil samples were scanned in the laboratory in the VIS-NIR range (350-2500 nm), and forty-one pre-processing methods were tested to improve predictions. Clay content was predicted with the highest accuracy, followed by SOC. Sand, S/C, H, Al, H+Al, CEC, m and V predictions were reasonably good. The other soil properties were poorly predicted. Among the soil properties predicted well, SOC is one of the critical soil indicators in the global carbon cycle. Besides the soil property of interest, the landscape position, soil order and depth influenced in the model performance. For silt content, pH and S/C, the model performed better in well-drained soils, whereas for SOC best predictions were obtained in poorly drained soils. The association of VIS-NIR spectral data to landforms, vegetation classes, and soil types demonstrate potential for soil characterization

Mineralogia da fração argila de solos da formação solimões na província petrolífera de Urucu, Amazonas.

A área deste estudo está localizada no município de Coari, Amazonas, cuja localização e dificuldade de acesso levam a carência de estudos e informações detalhadas sobre o meio físico e, portanto, sobre a pedogênese dos solos da região. Objetivou-se com este trabalho caracterizar a mineralogia da fração argila a partir de análises de difratometria de raios-X dos solos da Formação Solimões da província petrolífera de Urucu, a fim de ampliar o conhecimento sobre os solos da Amazônia Central. Foram selecionados três perfis das classes de solos mais representativas da área de estudo, a saber: Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo, Argissolo Amarelo e Cambissolo Háplico. A técnica de difratometria de raios-X foi utilizada para análise da fração argila dos horizontes diagnósticos subsuperficiais de cada perfil. Os perfis analisados apresentaram constituição mineralógica semelhante, apresentando caulinita, mica/ilita, goethita e vermiculita com hidróxi-Al entre camadas em sua composição. O predomínio de caulinita em solos da Amazônia deve-se a intensa reciclagem de silício pela vegetação florestal, favorecendo a estabilidade deste argilomineral, mesmo em ambiente altamente intemperizado. A presença de argilominerais 2:1 sugere que os sedimentos de origem (Formação Solimões) desses solos foram expostos e sofreram intemperismo no Quaternário, portanto não passaram por um processo de intemperismo tão acentuado quanto os solos lateríticos de outras regiões da Amazônia

Finding suitable transect spacing and sampling designs for accurate soil ECa mapping from EM38-MK2.

Finding an ideal sampling design is a crucial stage in detailed soil mapping to assure reasonable accuracy of resulting soil property maps. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of sampling designs and sample sizes on the quality of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) maps from an electromagnetic sensor survey. Twenty-six (26) parallel transects were gathered in a 72-ha plot in Southeastern Brazil. Soil ECa measurements using an on-the-go electromagnetic induction sensor were taken every second using sensor vertical orientation. Two approaches were used to reduce the sample size and simulate kriging interpolations of soil ECa. Firstly, the number of transect lines was reduced by increasing the distance between them; thus, 26 transects with 40 m spacing; 13 with 80 m; 7 with 150 m; and 4 with 300 m. Secondly, random point selection and Douglas-Peucker algorithms were used to derive four reduced datasets by removing 25, 50, 75, and 95% of the points from the ECa survey dataset. Soil ECa was interpolated at 5 m output spatial resolution using ordinary kriging and the four datasets from each simulation (a total of twelve datasets). Map uncertainty was assessed by root mean square error and mean error metrics from 400 random samples previously selected for external map validation. Maps were evaluated on their uncertainty and spatial structure of variation. The transect elimination approach showed that maps produced with transect spacing up to 150 m could preserve the spatial structure of ECa variations. Douglas-Peucker results showed lower nugget values than random point simulations for all selected sample densities, except for a 95% point reduction. The soil ECa maps derived from the 75% reduced dataset (by random sampling or Douglas-Peucker) or from 13 transect lines (80 m spacing) showed reasonable accuracy (RMSE of validation circa 0.7) relative to the map interpolated from all survey points (RMSE of 0.5), suggesting that transect spacing of 80 m and reading intervals greater than one second can be used for improving the efficiency of on-the-go soil ECa surveys

Predição de argila no solo: modelos utilizando sensores proximais do solo VS atributos derivados de MDE.

O gerenciamento adequado de áreas agrícolas ou a modelagem de erosão de bacias são alguns dos desafios ambientais que requerem quantidades de dados, precisos e gerados tempo hábil para a pesquisa. Dos atributos do solo de interesse ambiental, o atributo argila é um dos primordiais, conquanto a mensuração desse é obtida convencionalmente por granulometria em laboratório, apresentando descompasso para o fornecimento dessa informação. Sendo assim, avaliaram-se os mapas preditos de argila realizado por sensores proximais portáteis (condutivímetro/susceptibilímetro e gamarradiômetro) e outro utilizando 21 derivadas do MDE (gerado por GPS geodésico), com resolução de 1 metro, em 3,4 ha de área de estudo em Seropédica - RJ. Os modelos de predição da argila apresentaram valores de R² 0.91 e 0.74, para derivadas de MDE e sensores proximais, respectivamente. Embora, o mapa que apresentou menores erros, mas não tão discrepantes, foi o baseado no modelo utilizando sensores proximais