Conflictos ambientales y respuestas sociales: el caso de reetnificación de la comunidad de Quillagua

This article analyzes the relationship between environmental problem caused by pollution and pressure of mining companies in the basin of the middle of the river Loa, and the emergence of the indigenous community of Quillagua. This situation shows the emergence of an environmental conflict, reinforced by the legal possibilities and international backing provided by the fact of being indigenous. It is also proposed that ethnicity emerges in the current society as a tool of control and therefore the processes of ethnification or re-ethnification are part of an strategic and instrumental dynamic.En el presente artículo se analiza la relación que existe entre el problema ambiental, ocasionado por la contaminación y presión que ejercen las mineras sobre la cuenca del curso medio del río Loa, y el surgimiento de la comunidad indígena de Quillagua, hecho que posibilita a su vez la aparición de un conflicto ambiental, a partir de las posibilidades legales y el respaldo internacional que brinda el hecho de ser indígena en contextos de conflictos ambientales. Asimismo, se propone que la etnicidad surge en los actuales escenarios como una herramienta de lucha y que por lo tanto los procesos de reetnificación o de etnificación se enmarcan dentro de dinámicas estratégicas e instrumentales

America

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Measurement of muscle health in aging

Muscle health is a critical component in the struggle against physical frailty and the efforts to maintain metabolic health until the limit of chronological age. Consensus opinion is to evaluate muscle health in terms of muscle mass, strength and functional capability. There has been considerable variability in the components of muscle health which have been investigated in addition to variability in the tools of assessment and protocol for measurement. This is in stark contrast to the validated measurement of bone health across the adult life span. The purpose of this review was to identify indices of muscle mass, strength and functional capability most responsive to change with ageing and where possible to provide an estimate of the rate of change. We suggest lean tissue mass (LTM) or skeletal muscle (SM) is best evaluated from the thigh region due to its greater responsiveness to ageing compared to the whole body. The anterior compartment of the thigh region undergoes a preferential age-related decline in SM and force generating capacity. Therefore, we suggest that knee extensor torque is measured to represent the force generating capacity of the thigh and subsequently, to express muscle quality (strength per unit tissue). Finally, we suggest measures of functional capability which allow participants perform to a greater maximum are most appropriate to track age-related difference in functional capacity across the adult lifespan. This is due to their ability encompass a broad spectrum of abilities. This review suggests indices of muscular health for which reference ranges can be generated across the lifespan

Swallowing the bait: Is recreational fishing in Australia ecologically sustainable?

Recreational fishing is a growing component of the total fishery harvest in many countries, but the impacts of this sector on aquatic resources are often ignored in the management of aquatic systems. Recreational fishing is open-access, and in many inshore regions, the recreational harvest exceeds the commercial harvest. The environmental impacts from recreational angling can be both ecologically significant and broad in scope and include: the removal of a considerable biomass of a wide variety of species; discarded by-catch; possible trophic cascades through the removal of higher order carnivores; impacts on habitat through bait harvesting; impacts of introduced and translocated species to support angling fisheries; direct impacts on sea-birds, marine mammals and reptiles; and angler generated pollution. Management, for several reasons, has largely ignored these environmental impacts from recreational fishing. Recreational fishing impacts are cumulative, whereas there is a tendency for consideration of impacts in isolation. Recreational fishing lobbyists have generally been successful in focusing public and political attention on other impacts such as commercial fishing, and recreational fishing has tended not to come under close scrutiny from conservation and environmental groups. Without changes to the monitoring and management of recreational fisheries that incorporate the broad ecological impacts from the activity, it may not be ecologically sustainable in the long term and Australia will not meet its international obligations of protecting aquatic biodiversity. The definition of property rights and appropriate measures to prevent or manage large scale marine restocking are two emerging issues that also need to be addressed