Impact of Heavy Metals on Community Farming Activities in the Central Peruvian Andes

The high mining potential of the Peruvian Andes has promoted booming foreign investments. The mining activity takes place on campesino community lands and headwaters. Once the government awards a mining concession, mining companies must regularly negotiate land rent with communities over the whole duration of the mining operation, often leading to disagreements. Our research objective is to identify the mining impacts on the farming activities of campesino communities in the Junin region, central Peruvian Andes. Using a mixed-methods approach involving in-depth interviews, water and soil analysis, land-cover classification and participatory mapping, we analyzed the mining-community agreements and the mining impacts on the farming lands. We arrived at two primary conclusions. First, mining activities in terms of heavy metal concentrations impact on farming lands, although the contribution of previous and concurrent activities cannot be distinguished. Second, the diverging and short-termed interests of the involved parties which circumscribe the agreements may potentially lead to conflicts

Minería y factores socio-ambientales que debilitan a las comunidades campesinas en los Andes centrales del Perú

El potencial minero y la consecuente inversión minera en los Andes centrales del Perú y su superposición con tierras comunales han generado consecuencias que van desde el impacto en el medio ambiente hasta significativos cambios en la comunidad campesina como institución. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar los factores socio-ambientales que debilitarían las comunidades campesinas de Huasicancha y Chongos Alto, en los Andes centrales del Perú. El presente caso de estudio se basó en métodos mixtos para ambas comunidades, incluyendo entrevistas abiertas, participación en actividades de la comunidad y observación desde noviembre de 2016 a julio de 2017. Se entrevistaron a 50 actores involucrados (e.g., comuneros, instituciones del gobierno, proyectos mineros, entre otros). Esta investigación encontró que ambas comunidades campesinas se enfrentan a problemas socio-ambientales, como la influencia de los proyectos mineros y sus intereses económicos, la inserción de programas sociales ejecutados por el Estado peruano, la relación que existe entre las instituciones estatales y las comunidades, el desinterés de los comuneros en la dinámica de su propia comunidad, el conflicto de la demarcación territorial pre-existente, la falta de oportunidades laborales, y la disminución de la producción agrícola. Por ello, la influencia de dichos factores socio-ambientales (externos e internos) ha desencadenado el debilitamiento de las comunidades campesinas como institución fundamental de la sierra peruana

Mangroves fueling livelihoods: a socio-economic stakeholder analysis of the charcoal and pole production systems in the world's longest managed mangrove forest

The declining mangrove cover worldwide highlights the necessity of understanding the linkages between ecological and socio-economic dimensions of mangrove management. This study analyses the socio-economic aspects of the pole and charcoal production systems at Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR), known as the world’s longest managed mangrove forest, in Malaysia. We performed a socio-economic survey to identify the roles and relationships among stakeholders in the pole/charcoal production system and quantified the cash-flows in monetary value. Altogether, 160 interviews were conducted with contractors, forest officials, workers, middle-men, and consumers. The contractors are functioning as a “hub” from production to commercialization and receive major economic benefits. The commercialization of most charcoal (>80%) aims to its exportation to Japan while the commercialization of poles is local. Although the workers’ income was less than the minimum wage, they still prefer charcoal production jobs because of the availability and geographic proximity of these jobs. Our research suggests a standard salary and health insurance schemes for the workers to reduce social inequality/poverty and improve their well-being. Considering that mangroves occur in over 120 countries, our methodology can be used as a reference to unveil the socio-economic situation of mangrove-dependent communities as well as to map the economic cash-flow of the local activities that form the basis for long-term sustainable mangrove management plans

Mangroves Fueling Livelihoods: A Socio-Economic Stakeholder Analysis of the Charcoal and Pole Production Systems in the World’s Longest Managed Mangrove Forest

The declining mangrove cover worldwide highlights the necessity of understanding the linkages between ecological and socio-economic dimensions of mangrove management. This study analyses the socio-economic aspects of the pole and charcoal production systems at Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR), known as the world’s longest managed mangrove forest, in Malaysia. We performed a socio-economic survey to identify the roles and relationships among stakeholders in the pole/charcoal production system and quantified the cash-flows in monetary value. Altogether, 160 interviews were conducted with contractors, forest officials, workers, middle-men, and consumers. The contractors are functioning as a “hub” from production to commercialization and receive major economic benefits. The commercialization of most charcoal (>80%) aims to its exportation to Japan while the commercialization of poles is local. Although the workers’ income was less than the minimum wage, they still prefer charcoal production jobs because of the availability and geographic proximity of these jobs. Our research suggests a standard salary and health insurance schemes for the workers to reduce social inequality/poverty and improve their well-being. Considering that mangroves occur in over 120 countries, our methodology can be used as a reference to unveil the socio-economic situation of mangrove-dependent communities as well as to map the economic cash-flow of the local activities that form the basis for long-term sustainable mangrove management plans.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Is Matang Mangrove Forest in Malaysia sustainably rejuvenating after more than a century of conservation and harvesting management?

Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Peninsular Malaysia is under systematic management since 1902 and still considered as the best managed mangrove forest in the world. The present study on silvimetrics assessed the ongoing MMFR forest management, which includes a first thinning after 15 years, a second thinning after 20 years and clear-felling of 30-year old forest blocks, for its efficiency and productivity in comparison to natural mangroves. The estimated tree structural parameters (e.g. density, frequency) from three different-aged mangrove blocks of fifteen (MF15), twenty (MF20), and thirty (MF30) years old indicated that Bruguiera and Excoecaria spp. did not constitute a significant proportion of the vegetation (<5%), and hence the results focused majorly on Rhizophora apiculata. The density of R. apiculata at MF15, MF20 and MF30 was 4,331, 2,753 and 1,767 stems ha(-1), respectively. In relation to ongoing practices of the artificial thinnings at MMFR, the present study suggests that the first thinning could be made earlier to limit the loss of exploitable wood due to natural thinning. In fact, the initial density at MF15 was expected to drop down from 6,726 to 1,858 trees ha(-1) before the first thinning. Therefore the trees likely to qualify for natural thinning, though having a smaller stem diameter, should be exploited for domestic/commercial purposes at an earlier stage. The clear-felling block (MF30) with a maximum stem diameter of 30 cm was estimated to yield 372 t ha(-1) of the above-ground biomass and suggests that the mangrove management based on a 30-year rotation is appropriate for the MMFR. Since Matang is the only iconic site that practicing sustainable wood production, it could be an exemplary to other mangrove locations for their improved management

The distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) showing variations between virgin and managed mangrove forest blocks in relation to their – (A) juvenile, (B) young and, (C) adult vegetation at the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve.

<p>While density of the juvenile and the young vegetation was estimated for nos. ha⁻¹, the adult tree density was estimated for no. stems ha⁻¹ (VJR: Virgin Jungle Reserve; MF15, MF20 and MF30: Managed Forest blocks at 15, 20 and 30 years old) (circles in all panels represent correlation circles, and the orientation of mangrove species' lines approximate their correlation to the ordination axes).</p

Schematic representation showing the Matang mangrove management system (A); (B) the present observations on <i>Rhizophora apiculata</i> – (a) stem size (D₁₃₀) and, (b) biomass distribution at different forest blocks: (i) VJR: Virgin Jungle Reserve, (ii) MF15: Managed Forest at 15 years old, (iii) MF20: Managed Forest at 20 years old and, MF30: Managed Forest at 30 years old; B (I–II): the computed biomass of <i>R. apiculata</i> after the first and second thinnings.

<p>The green coloured rectangle (dashed box) in B (ii-a to iv-a) shows the expected/required stem size by the State Forestry Department of Perak.</p

Adult tree density (stems ha⁻¹) and frequency (%) at Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve.

<p>The values under thinnings I and II are the computed stem density which is likely to be present after the thinning events at MF15 and MF20. VJR is Virgin Jungle Reserve; MF15, MF20 and MF30 are the Managed Forest blocks at 15, 20 and 30 years old. MST is multiple-stemmed tree. Except <i>Rhizophora</i>, all other species encountered during inspection visits and/or thinning operations at the managed forest blocks will be clear-felled.</p><p>*found only at single plot.</p

Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in the state of Perak on the West coast of Peninsular Malaysia (A) (dotted square represents the study zone); (B) Location (yellow circle with red dots) of the Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) and the Managed Mangrove Forest (MF with 15, 20 and 30 year old vegetation) blocks considered for silvimetric measurements in the present study (image source: Landsat 7 dated 27 Dec 1999 from the NASA's Earth Observatory).

<p>Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in the state of Perak on the West coast of Peninsular Malaysia (A) (dotted square represents the study zone); (B) Location (yellow circle with red dots) of the Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) and the Managed Mangrove Forest (MF with 15, 20 and 30 year old vegetation) blocks considered for silvimetric measurements in the present study (image source: Landsat 7 dated 27 Dec 1999 from the NASA's Earth Observatory).</p

Schematic chart showing the century-old mangrove management at the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) as a global reference for sustainable silviculture.

<p>While the bold-line arrows indicate the features available for Matang (A–B), the dotted-line arrows show the features that could be considered by other mangrove locations for their improved/sustainable mangrove management. Some of the ongoing silvicultural and ecological concerns (C) represented by dotted-arrows, are applicable to the both MMFR and other mangrove locations elsewhere.</p