A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.Keywords: Social–ecological systems, Tropical forests, Land use, Interdisciplinary research, Sustainability, Trade-off

Caminhos para a vida adulta: as multiplas trajetorias dos jovens brasileiro

El trabajo discute la definición de joven, enfocando las juventudes en Brasil en relación con las formas de transición a la vida adulta, analizando las dimensiones de la escuela, el trabajo y la familia. El análisis se basó en los datos de las Encuestas Nacionales por Muestra de Domicilios (pnad) del Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadísticas (ibge), de 1982 y 2002. Se procuró explorar las variadas formas de transición a la vida adulta entre los jóvenes que se independizaron, saliendo de la casa de los padres en la condición de jefes de hogar y cónyuges, y entre los que permanecen en la condición de hijos y otros parientes. Los resultados enfatizan una multiplicidad de situaciones en que la transición puede ocurrir. Se sugiere que los procesos son marcados por trayectorias no lineales de las fases de vida, pudiendo, por ejemplo, los hijos abandonar el hogar paterno antes de casarse, o casarse antes de la inserción en el mercado de trabajo, y así por delante. En la misma dirección, se considera que esa transición puede ocurrir en nuevos arreglos familiares que no pasen necesariamente por la salida de la casa paterna. No fue posible concluir en el trabajo, en función de la insuficiencia de los datos, si los procesos son o no reversibles en el tiempo, pero se consideró que las etapas del proceso de transición llevan posibilidades de reversión

A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales:the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far