Emergencies in a Territory of Mobility

UID/SOC/04647/2013The Mediterranean Sea is a historical stage of mobilities and has been a witness to important movements of people and goods since ancient times. In this liquid territory, different social processes of globalization can be observed; yet, in recent years, it has been predominantly depicted as an emergency scene, a crossing platform for those in search of refuge in Europe. This scenario becomes connected to a set of dimensions of securitization and quests for control that redirect the debates about national and European responsibilities regarding maritime territories. In this article, this issue is addressed exploring the construction and development of the social problem of refugees in the Mediterranean, departing from a frame analysis of news items thematically filtered from the digital platforms of two Italian newspapers in 2013-2015. The problem is contextualized in time and content progression, deepening the framing of some critical events, and reframing the Mediterranean as a referent/emergent territory of mobility.publishersversionpublishe

Migrações e ambiente. Imigrantes ambientais no contexto europeu

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de MESTRE em ECOLOGIA HUMANA E PROBLEMAS SOCIAIS CONTEMPORÂNEOS.O Trabalho de Projecto tem como objectivo central contribuir para a construção de um itinerário de investigação doutoral que conduza à clarificação e caracterização da existência e percursos de vida de imigrantes ambientais, valorizando o espaço europeu enquanto seu contexto de destino. Nesse sentido, a presente memória escrita apresenta a identificação e evolução do problema de investigação, o seu enquadramento teórico (ambiente, risco e migrações humanas) e metodológico (ecologia humana, abordagem compreensiva e socioecológica), os resultados da investigação exploratória (ao nível da vulnerabilidade humana face a alterações ambientais e da integração do fenómeno nos fluxos migratórios rumo à Europa) e, por fim, a planificação metodológica e operacional para o desenvolvimento do projecto de doutoramento. O projecto constrói-se na procura de colaborar para a valorização e reconhecimento dos imigrantes ambientais, tanto no plano científico como na dimensão política e legislativa

Entre a seca africana e a utopia europeia. A percepção do papel do ambiente na mobilidade de refugiados e migrantes etíopes e eritreus em Itália e cabo-verdianos em Portugal

Ambiente e mobilidades são dois dos eixos temáticos que mais têm sido objecto de reflexão, construção política e mobilização civil no século XXI. O seu cruzamento com outros domínios importantes de construção social, particularmente ao nível do desenvolvimento e das desigualdades sociais, tem motivado um número crescente de produções científicas e de políticas públicas. Estas produções cada vez mais conduzem para uma ponderação do seu lugar de cruzamento: as migrações ambientais, designação discutível mas identificável para designar fluxos de mobilidade, em diferentes escalas temporais e espaciais, em cujos indutores podem identificar-se causas ambientais. Esta tese pretende contribuir, com o seu aporte qualitativo, para o debate e a crescente construção deste campo cruzado entre questões ambientais e mobilidades humanas. Nesse sentido, partimos de um enquadramento científico interdisciplinar em Ecologia Humana, com um quadro teórico-conceptual que reflecte sobre mobilidades e ambiente como eixo norteador da análise. Na procura de compreender como é que as questões ambientais surgem na memória dos contextos de origem de migrantes e refugiados provenientes de países sob pressão ambiental (sobretudo em problemas relacionados com a água) e residentes no sul europeu, foram realizadas entrevistas com migrantes e refugiados etíopes e eritreus em Bolonha, Itália, e migrantes cabo-verdianos em Lisboa, Portugal. Tendo em vista responder aos restantes objectivos que moveram este trabalho de doutoramento, outras opções metodológicas foram integradas (histórias de vida e de mobilidade, análise documental e de imprensa, observação participante, filme documentário). A tese organiza-se em três partes, começando por enquadrar a pesquisa e os entrevistados. Procede para a ponderação do papel do ambiente em tempo de mobilidades, procurando desconstruir e perceber o desenvolvimento científico e político que acompanhou os discursos sobre “refugiados ambientais” e migrações ambientais, e de seguida interpreta as percepções recolhidas sobre questões ambientais nos contextos de origem dos entrevistados (ambiente-natureza, ambiente-estrutura, ambiente-emergência, mudança social e reenquadramento do ambiente e das mobilidades). A terceira parte sugere conduzir a leitura da informação recolhida do ambiente de origem ao território de chegada, enquadrando perspectivas sobre mobilidades, migrações e trajectórias, ponderando os enquadramentos pós-coloniais de relação entre países de origem e de chegada, reflectindo sobre questões emergentes nos territórios considerados (em particular sobre o aumento das travessias de refugiados no Mediterrâneo) e sobre questões de integração das populações consideradas nas cidades em que se reinstalaram (Bolonha e Lisboa).Environment and mobilities are two of the main thematic axis that have been subject to reflection, political construction and civil mobilization in the 21st century. Their intersection with other important domains of social construction, particularly at the level of development and inequality, has motivated scientific development and public policies. These productions increasingly lead to a consideration of their place of intersection: environmental migrations, a questionable but identifiable label to designate mobility flows, at different temporal and spatial scales, in which mobility drivers it is possible to identify environmental causes. This thesis aims to contribute, with its qualitative contribution, to the debate and the growing construction of this cross field between environmental issues and human mobility. In this sense, we start from an interdisciplinary scientific framework in Human Ecology, with a theoretical-conceptual framework that reflects on mobility and the environment as the guiding axis of the analysis. In the quest to understand how environmental issues emerge in the memory of migrants and refugees with background contexts from countries under environmental pressure (especially on water-related issues) and that reside in Southern Europe, interviews were conducted with Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants and refugees in Bologna, Italy, and Cape Verdean migrants in Lisbon, Portugal. In order to answer the other objectives that moved this doctoral work, other methodological options were integrated (biographic and mobility narratives, documental and press analysis, participant observation, documentary film). The thesis is organized in three parts, starting by framing the research and the interviewees. It proceeds to the consideration of the role of the environment in times of mobilities, seeking to deconstruct and perceive the scientific and political development that accompanied the discourses on "environmental refugees" and environmental migrations, and then interprets the perceptions gathered on environmental issues in the contexts of origin of the interviewees (environment-nature, environment-structure, environment-emergence, social change and re-framing of environment and mobilities). The third part suggests to shift the reading from the environment of origin to the territory of arrival, framing perspectives on mobilities, migrations and trajectories, pondering the postcolonial frameworks of the relationship between countries of origin and arrival, reflecting on emerging issues (in particular on the increase in the Mediterranean crossings by refugees) and on issues of integration of the populations considered in the cities where they resettled (Bologna and Lisbon)

Proposing a framework to observe and analyze intercultural initiatives

UID/SOC/04647/2013 544410-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-IT-TEMPUS-JPHESIn the present paper we will discuss the contribution of non-formal initiatives to the promotion of an intercultural education, in a holistic perspective of interculturalism and fostering global citizenship. Deepening the analysis of intercultural contexts by taking non-formal initiatives as targets of analysis, it is our objective to propose a framework of observation and evaluation of intercultural initiatives taking place outside the formal educational system. The brief analysis of three intercultural initiatives in two different fields of action – family hosting within an educational context and urban tourism –, taken as examples of non-formal approaches, allowed us to propose a grid analysis as a useful instrument for observation of intercultural relations outside the formal context. This tool can be used within Intercultural Education Platforms on a straight monitoring collaboration with an Observatory of Migrations, complemented by an Observatory of Tolerance that could disseminate the best practices of the considered territory.publishersversionpublishe

reflexões a partir do projecto ALLMEET

UID/SOC/04647/2013; 544410-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-IT-TEMPUS-JPHESNum contexto de diversidade de grupos populacionais em convivência, acelerado pelos processos de globalização das mobilidades, o diálogo intercultural vem-se afirmando como processo educativo de sucesso para o respeito da diversidade e a promoção da coesão social. Considerado uma boa prática da União Europeia (UE), o diálogo intercultural está na base da proposta do projecto ALLMEET, que prevê a implementação de plataformas educativas interculturais em contextos urbanos diferenciados de cinco regiões da Federação Russa. A reflexão e a partilha de experiências no âmbito da rede de trabalho constituída neste projecto conduziu-nos a uma discussão sobre as finalidades educativas e seu enquadramento de grupos minoritários, a criação de territórios educativos prioritários e a interculturalidade em contexto de desigualdades sociais. In a context of sociability of diverse population groups, intercultural dialogue has been affirming as a successful educational idea for the respect of diversity and for the promotion of social cohesion. Considered among the best practices of the European Union, intercultural dialogue is at the basis of the proposal of ALLMEET project, which aims to implement intercultural education platforms in different urban contexts of five regions in Russian Federation. The debate and sharing experiences, within the network constituted in this project, led us to a discussion about educational aims and their framing of minority groups, the creation of priority education territories, and interculturalism in a context of social inequity.publishersversionpublishe

collective monograph

UID/SOC/04647/2013 544410-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-IT-TEMPUS-JPHESpublishersversionpublishe

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora