Motivations to adopt Agroecology in rural communities of the Northern Andes of Ecuador

Agroecology (AE) is a discipline of study that is consistently expanding in the scientific, sociopolitical, and environmental fields, both globally and regionally in Latin America. This study focuses on understanding the dynamics and diversity of motivations that farmers have when deciding whether to adopt AE or not in the Northern Andes of Ecuador. Using mixed methods, we described the historical evolution of the perceptions of agroecological practitioners and external agents regarding the motivations, incentives, compensations, and expectations they had. This study discusses the nature and dynamics of motivations using sustainability as a transversal axis to assess responses. We worked with a proportionally similar number of indigenous and mestizo farmers who declared to have an interest in the study and had access to a piece of land for agroecological production. This study reveals convergences and divergences of perceptions among stakeholders about the different strategies used by external agencies to address AE and rural extension. The types and levels of participation throughout the historical evolution of AE showed low participation of farmers in the early stages, associated with planning; however, there was a steady increase in farmer participation in the stages associated with hands-on activities. In general, there is very little motivation for agroecological food production among youth and men, whereas younger rural men and women feel more motivated to work on agribusiness export projects such as the cut-flower industry. Keywords: incentives, compensations, sustainable agriculture, behavioral drivers, stakeholder motivations, environmental perception. Resumen La agroecología es una disciplina que se encuentra en constante expansión en el ámbito científico, sociopolítico y ambiental, tanto a nivel mundial como regional en América Latina. Este estudio se centra en comprender la dinámica y diversidad de motivaciones que tienen los agricultores a la hora de decidir adoptar o no la agroecología (AE) en los Andes del Norte de Ecuador. Utilizando métodos mixtos, describimos la evolución histórica de las percepciones de los agricultores y de los agentes externos sobre las motivaciones, incentivos, compensaciones y expectativas que tenían. Este estudio analiza la naturaleza y la dinámica de las motivaciones utilizando la sostenibilidad como eje transversal para evaluar las respuestas. Se trabajó con un número proporcionalmente similar de agricultores indígenas y mestizos, quienes declararon tener interés en el presente estudio y que tenían acceso a un pedazo de tierra para la producción agroecológica. Este estudio revela convergencias y divergencias de percepciones entre los actores involucrados acerca de las diferentes estrategias utilizadas por los organismos externos para abordar la AE y la extensión rural. Los tipos y niveles de participación a lo largo de la evolución histórica de la AE mostraron una baja participación de los agricultores en las primeras etapas, asociadas a la planificación; sin embargo, se produjo un aumento constante de la participación de los agricultores en las etapas asociadas a actividades más bien prácticas. También se observó que los agricultores son de edad y en su mayoría son mujeres. En general, hay muy poca motivación para la producción de alimentos en los jóvenes y los hombres, puesto que los hombres rurales jóvenes y también las mujeres se sienten más motivados para trabajar en proyectos agroindustriales de exportación, como en la industria de las flores de corte. Palabras Clave: incentivos, compensaciones, agricultura sostenible, impulsores del comportamiento, motivaciones en actores clave, percepción ambiental

A Theory of Cheap Control in Embodied Systems

We present a framework for designing cheap control architectures for embodied agents. Our derivation is guided by the classical problem of universal approximation, whereby we explore the possibility of exploiting the agent's embodiment for a new and more efficient universal approximation of behaviors generated by sensorimotor control. This embodied universal approximation is compared with the classical non-embodied universal approximation. To exemplify our approach, we present a detailed quantitative case study for policy models defined in terms of conditional restricted Boltzmann machines. In contrast to non-embodied universal approximation, which requires an exponential number of parameters, in the embodied setting we are able to generate all possible behaviors with a drastically smaller model, thus obtaining cheap universal approximation. We test and corroborate the theory experimentally with a six-legged walking machine. The experiments show that the sufficient controller complexity predicted by our theory is tight, which means that the theory has direct practical implications. Keywords: cheap design, embodiment, sensorimotor loop, universal approximation, conditional restricted Boltzmann machineComment: 27 pages, 10 figure

Caracterización del modelo termodinámico Otto y CIMA para la predicción de potencia torque y consumo de un motor de combustión interna S.I con el dinamómetro automotriz para evaluar la precisión de sus resultados.

Este trabajo se realizó basado en la necesidad de evaluar resultados que estiman dos modelos termodinámicos mediante la comparación con datos experimentales; el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la eficacia que poseen estos modelos para predecir parámetros como; potencia, torque y consumo de combustible de un M.C.I. Para lo cual se utilizó un vehículo para realizar pruebas experimentales de los parámetros mencionados en un dinamómetro automotriz; además se ejecutaron pruebas de emisión de gases con el fin de obtener las proporciones de aire/combustible que se desarrollan en el motor. Se desarrollaron los cálculos con los modelos mencionados, para elaborar las respectivas comparaciones. Finalmente se obtuvieron resultados de correlatividad que indican que los modelos matemáticos poseen buena capacidad para predecir parámetros de desempeño mecánico, en relación a los obtenidos en las pruebas experimentales. Por lo tanto se concluye que no es necesario aplicar ningún factor de corrección en estos modelos. Palabras claves: Proceso Adiabático, Modelo CIMA, Modelo Otto, Motor de combustión interna alternativo (MCIA), Consumo de combustible, Dinamómetro de chasis, Rendimiento volumétrico, Potencia en el motor, Torque en el motor, EES (Software)

The political economy of progressive fiscal contracts in Africa and Latin America

Motivation How can poorer developing countries escape from the vicious circle in which, because the state is fragile, those countries cannot raise sufficient public revenue to be able to finance development, leading to the persistence of poverty and state fragility? We explore a new approach to this problem, which we call progressive fiscal contracts, in which government earmarks the proceeds of particular taxes to be spent on forms of expenditure which will have widespread benefits for lower income groups, such as health, education and social protection. Taxpayers are thus offered a contractual relationship with government (better‐targeted delivery of public services in return for tax payments) in place of a coercive one (simply being ordered to pay taxes, with nothing being offered in exchange). We seek to examine whether this kind of contractual approach offers a way forward for developing countries. Purpose Across five countries (Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Ghana and Zambia) between 2000 and 2015, we seek to find out whether tax yields have improved following the introduction of progressive fiscal contracts, whether conflict and poverty have declined, and whether there have been countervailing costs in terms of reduced efficiency. We also examine the experience of two countries (Brazil and Chile) where there is no formal ear‐marking but government has encouraged the public to think of particular taxes as being associated with particular forms of expenditure. Approach and methods We assess the impact of changes in tax yields, welfare indicators and conflict indicators by means of panel‐data regressions, tabular comparisons and, in Bolivia, qualitative interviews. Changes in efficiency are assessed through examination of changes in tax structure. Findings Across all of the countries surveyed, the introduction of progressive fiscal contracts has been associated with a reduction in headcount poverty between 2000 and 2015, and in Bolivia our qualitative evidence suggests that the relationship can be seen as a causal one. In three cases out of five (Ghana, Bolivia and Ecuador) tax yields have increased, and in two (Ecuador and Bolivia) there was a significant reduction in political violence. In the Latin American cases examined, but not the African ones, there was a shift from royalty‐based taxation to income‐based taxation of natural resources, suggesting the likelihood of an improvement in efficiency over the period in those countries only. In these cases, the stereotypical view that progressive fiscal contracts improve equity at the expense of efficiency is contradicted. Policy implications (or conclusions) ‘Progressive fiscal contracts’, which originated as a device for making tax payments more palatable by offering social benefits in return, show promise as an innovative strategy for boosting tax ratios, reducing political violence and reducing poverty, which deserves further exploration

First Latin American clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: Latin American Group for the Study of Lupus (GLADEL, Grupo Latino Americano de Estudio del Lupus)-Pan-American League of Associations of Rheumatology (PANLAR)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex and heterogeneous autoimmune disease, represents a significant challenge for both diagnosis and treatment. Patients with SLE in Latin America face special problems that should be considered when therapeutic guidelines are developed. The objective of the study is to develop clinical practice guidelines for Latin American patients with lupus. Two independent teams (rheumatologists with experience in lupus management and methodologists) had an initial meeting in Panama City, Panama, in April 2016. They selected a list of questions for the clinical problems most commonly seen in Latin American patients with SLE. These were addressed with the best available evidence and summarised in a standardised format following the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. All preliminary findings were discussed in a second face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC, in November 2016. As a result, nine organ/system sections are presented with the main findings; an 'overarching' treatment approach was added. Special emphasis was made on regional implementation issues. Best pharmacologic options were examined for musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, kidney, cardiac, pulmonary, neuropsychiatric, haematological manifestations and the antiphospholipid syndrome. The roles of main therapeutic options (ie, glucocorticoids, antimalarials, immunosuppressant agents, therapeutic plasma exchange, belimumab, rituximab, abatacept, low-dose aspirin and anticoagulants) were summarised in each section. In all cases, benefits and harms, certainty of the evidence, values and preferences, feasibility, acceptability and equity issues were considered to produce a recommendation with special focus on ethnic and socioeconomic aspects. Guidelines for Latin American patients with lupus have been developed and could be used in similar settings.Fil: Pons Estel, Bernardo A.. Centro Regional de Enfermedades Autoinmunes y Reumáticas; ArgentinaFil: Bonfa, Eloisa. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Soriano, Enrique R.. Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Rectorado.; ArgentinaFil: Cardiel, Mario H.. Centro de Investigación Clínica de Morelia; MéxicoFil: Izcovich, Ariel. Hospital Alemán; ArgentinaFil: Popoff, Federico. Hospital Aleman; ArgentinaFil: Criniti, Juan M.. Hospital Alemán; ArgentinaFil: Vásquez, Gloria. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Massardo, Loreto. Universidad San Sebastián; ChileFil: Duarte, Margarita. Hospital de Clínicas; ParaguayFil: Barile Fabris, Leonor A.. Hospital Angeles del Pedregal; MéxicoFil: García, Mercedes A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Amigo, Mary Carmen. Centro Médico Abc; MéxicoFil: Espada, Graciela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez"; ArgentinaFil: Catoggio, Luis J.. Hospital Italiano. Instituto Universitario. Escuela de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Sato, Emilia Inoue. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Levy, Roger A.. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; BrasilFil: Acevedo Vásquez, Eduardo M.. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; PerúFil: Chacón Díaz, Rosa. Policlínica Méndez Gimón; VenezuelaFil: Galarza Maldonado, Claudio M.. Corporación Médica Monte Sinaí; EcuadorFil: Iglesias Gamarra, Antonio J.. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Molina, José Fernando. Centro Integral de Reumatología; ColombiaFil: Neira, Oscar. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Silva, Clóvis A.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Vargas Peña, Andrea. Hospital Pasteur Montevideo; UruguayFil: Gómez Puerta, José A.. Hospital Clinic Barcelona; EspañaFil: Scolnik, Marina. Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Rectorado.; ArgentinaFil: Pons Estel, Guillermo J.. Centro Regional de Enfermedades Autoinmunes y Reumáticas; Argentina. Hospital Provincial de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Ugolini Lopes, Michelle R.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Savio, Verónica. Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Rectorado.; ArgentinaFil: Drenkard, Cristina. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: Alvarellos, Alejandro J.. Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Ugarte Gil, Manuel F.. Universidad Cientifica del Sur; Perú. Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen; PerúFil: Babini, Alejandra. Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Rectorado.; ArgentinaFil: Cavalcanti, André. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Cardoso Linhares, Fernanda Athayde. Hospital Pasteur Montevideo; UruguayFil: Haye Salinas, Maria Jezabel. Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Fuentes Silva, Yurilis J.. Universidad de Oriente - Núcleo Bolívar; VenezuelaFil: Montandon De Oliveira E Silva, Ana Carolina. Universidade Federal de Goiás; BrasilFil: Eraso Garnica, Ruth M.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Herrera Uribe, Sebastián. Hospital General de Medellin Luz Castro de Gutiérrez; ColombiaFil: Gómez Martín, DIana. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Robaina Sevrini, Ricardo. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Quintana, Rosana M.. Hospital Provincial de Rosario; Argentina. Centro Regional de Enfermedades Autoinmunes y Reumáticas; ArgentinaFil: Gordon, Sergio. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Dr Oscar Alende. Unidad de Reumatología y Enfermedades Autoinmunes Sistémicas; ArgentinaFil: Fragoso Loyo, Hilda. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Rosario, Violeta. Hospital Docente Padre Billini; República DominicanaFil: Saurit, Verónica. Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Appenzeller, Simone. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Dos Reis Neto, Edgard Torres. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cieza, Jorge. Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins; PerúFil: González Naranjo, Luis A.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: González Bello, Yelitza C.. Ceibac; MéxicoFil: Collado, María Victoria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Sarano, Judith. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Retamozo, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Sattler, María E.. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Gamboa Cárdenas, Rocio V.. Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen; PerúFil: Cairoli, Ernesto. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Conti, Silvana M.. Hospital Provincial de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Amezcua Guerra, Luis M.. Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez; MéxicoFil: Silveira, Luis H.. Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez; MéxicoFil: Borba, Eduardo F.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Pera, Mariana A.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Alba Moreyra, Paula B.. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Arturi, Valeria. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Berbotto, Guillermo A.. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos "Eva Perón"; ArgentinaFil: Gerling, Cristian. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Dr Oscar Alende. Unidad de Reumatología y Enfermedades Autoinmunes Sistémicas; ArgentinaFil: Gobbi, Carla Andrea. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gervasoni, Viviana L.. Hospital Provincial de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Scherbarth, Hugo R.. Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Dr Oscar Alende. Unidad de Reumatología y Enfermedades Autoinmunes Sistémicas; ArgentinaFil: Brenol, João C. Tavares. Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre; BrasilFil: Cavalcanti, Fernando. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Costallat, Lilian T. Lavras. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Da Silva, Nilzio A.. Universidade Federal de Goiás; BrasilFil: Monticielo, Odirlei A.. Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre; BrasilFil: Seguro, Luciana Parente Costa. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Xavier, Ricardo M.. Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre; BrasilFil: Llanos, Carolina. Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Montúfar Guardado, Rubén A.. Instituto Salvadoreño de la Seguridad Social; El SalvadorFil: Garcia De La Torre, Ignacio. Hospital General de Occidente; MéxicoFil: Pineda, Carlos. Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación; MéxicoFil: Portela Hernández, Margarita. Umae Hospital de Especialidades Centro Medico Nacional Siglo Xxi; MéxicoFil: Danza, Alvaro. Hospital Pasteur Montevideo; UruguayFil: Guibert Toledano, Marlene. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: Reyes, Gil Llerena. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: Acosta Colman, Maria Isabel. Hospital de Clínicas; ParaguayFil: Aquino, Alicia M.. Hospital de Clínicas; ParaguayFil: Mora Trujillo, Claudia S.. Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins; PerúFil: Muñoz Louis, Roberto. Hospital Docente Padre Billini; República DominicanaFil: García Valladares, Ignacio. Centro de Estudios de Investigación Básica y Clínica; MéxicoFil: Orozco, María Celeste. Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica; ArgentinaFil: Burgos, Paula I.. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Betancur, Graciela V.. Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica; ArgentinaFil: Alarcón, Graciela S.. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Perú. University of Alabama at Birmingahm; Estados Unido

Reviewing the use of resilience concepts in forest sciences

Purpose of the review Resilience is a key concept to deal with an uncertain future in forestry. In recent years, it has received increasing attention from both research and practice. However, a common understanding of what resilience means in a forestry context, and how to operationalise it is lacking. Here, we conducted a systematic review of the recent forest science literature on resilience in the forestry context, synthesising how resilience is defined and assessed. Recent findings Based on a detailed review of 255 studies, we analysed how the concepts of engineering resilience, ecological resilience, and social-ecological resilience are used in forest sciences. A clear majority of the studies applied the concept of engineering resilience, quantifying resilience as the recovery time after a disturbance. The two most used indicators for engineering resilience were basal area increment and vegetation cover, whereas ecological resilience studies frequently focus on vegetation cover and tree density. In contrast, important social-ecological resilience indicators used in the literature are socio-economic diversity and stock of natural resources. In the context of global change, we expected an increase in studies adopting the more holistic social-ecological resilience concept, but this was not the observed trend. Summary Our analysis points to the nestedness of these three resilience concepts, suggesting that they are complementary rather than contradictory. It also means that the variety of resilience approaches does not need to be an obstacle for operationalisation of the concept. We provide guidance for choosing the most suitable resilience concept and indicators based on the management, disturbance and application context

Nurse-based restoration of degraded tropical forests with tussock grasses: Experimental support from the Andean cloud forest

10 páginas.-- 5 figuras.-- 1 tabla.-- 45 referencias.-- Supporting Information Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online versionof this article. Fig. S1. Performance of palm seedlings in each treatment. Fig. S2. Influence of light intensity on VPD. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12311/suppinfo© 2014 British Ecological Society. The degradation of the Andean cloud forest raises strong biological conservation issues and threatens the sustainability of a crucial water resource. The idea that nurse-based restoration can accelerate the recovery of these forests is underexplored, despite its promise as a restoration technique. Recent conceptual models predict that facilitation among plants may be an important mechanism, but there is a lack of strong empirical support. We gathered experimental data to test this prediction and explore the relevance of using nurse-based forest restoration in these environments. A 20-month factorial experimental design in the Andean tropical cloud forest was established. We measured the survival and estimated the biomass production of transplanted seedlings of a keystone canopy forest species, Ceroxylon echinulatum (Arecaceae), in a deforested area in the presence/absence of herbivory, a potential nurse plant (the tussock grass Setaria sphacelata, Poaceae) and artificial shade. The joint effects of deforestation and herbivory led to the death of all seedlings, whereas most seedlings survived in the adjacent forest, which was used as the control. The presence of nurse plants led to significantly higher survival and growth of Ceroxylon seedlings throughout the experiment, regardless of herbivore presence. The nurse effects were explained by a reduction of the relative abiotic stress experienced by the seedlings outside the forest, that is, the consistently decreasing maximum vapour pressure deficit. Furthermore, nurse tussocks delayed and reduced the effects of herbivory by offering physical protection and a refuge for seedlings against detection by herbivores. However, the effects of herbivory and abiotic stress on facilitation were not additive. Synthesis and applications. Facilitation in degraded cloud forest can be intense as soon as the beneficiary plants are driven away from their physiological optimum (relative abiotic stress) and/or are confronted by herbivory. Using pre-established exotic tussock grasses as a nurse-based restoration technique in degraded cloud forest is a low-cost, non-detrimental (to biodiversity) option, especially in the absence of nurse trees and shrubs. The success of this method requires transplanting seedlings at the base of tussocks. Facilitation in degraded cloud forest can be intense as soon as the beneficiary plants are driven away from their physiological optimum (relative abiotic stress) and/or are confronted by herbivory. Using pre-established exotic tussock grasses as a nurse-based restoration technique in degraded cloud forest is a low-cost, non-detrimental (to biodiversity) option, especially in the absence of nurse trees and shrubs. The success of this method requires transplanting seedlings at the base of tussocks.We thank the people of the Inti-Llacta Reserve for their kind reception and J. Lincango, S. Cauvy-Fraunie, and C. Gully for their help with data collection. We are also grateful to P. Liancourt and two anonymous reviewers for extensive comments on the manuscript and to the LucidPapers team for English revision. This research was funded by the Ecuadorian government (ECOFONDO grant no. 019-ECO7-Inv1) and the project PALMS FP7-ENV-2007-I (www.fp7-palms.org).Peer Reviewe

Motivations to adopt Agroecology in rural communities of the Northern Andes of Ecuador

Abstract Agroecology (AE) is a discipline of study that is consistently expanding in the scientific, sociopolitical, and environmental fields, both globally and regionally in Latin America. This study focuses on understanding the dynamics and diversity of motivations that farmers have when deciding whether to adopt AE or not in the Northern Andes of Ecuador. Using mixed methods, we described the historical evolution of the perceptions of agroecological practitioners and external agents regarding the motivations, incentives, compensations, and expectations they had. This study discusses the nature and dynamics of motivations using sustainability as a transversal axis to assess responses. We worked with a proportionally similar number of indigenous and mestizo farmers who declared to have an interest in the study and had access to a piece of land for agroecological production. This study reveals convergences and divergences of perceptions among stakeholders about the different strategies used by external agencies to address AE and rural extension. The types and levels of participation throughout the historical evolution of AE showed low participation of farmers in the early stages, associated with planning; however, there was a steady increase in farmer participation in the stages associated with hands-on activities. In general, there is very little motivation for agroecological food production among youth and men, whereas younger rural men and women feel more motivated to work on agribusiness export projects such as the cut-flower industry

Caracterización de la resiliencia ecológica de poblaciones de palmeras

International audienceThe aim of the protocol described here is to provide estimators of the effects of disturbance on the resilience of palm populations. Biological and ecological parameters are recorded: Density and spatial distribution of individuals, population structure, and basal area, using a system of 20 x 20 m plots. Ecological parameters are compared in different conditions of disturbance in relation to forest alteration and deforestation: mature forest, disturbed forest and pasture. Comparative data obtained allow evaluating the resilience limit of the palm populations along a perturbation gradient.El objetivo del protocolo descrito es proveer estimadores de los efectos de perturbaciones ambientales sobre la resiliencia de poblaciones de palmeras. Se documentan parámetros biológicos y ecológicos: densidad y distribución espacial de individuos, estructura poblacional y área basal, mediante un dispositivo de cuadrantes de 20 x 20 m. Los parámetros ecológicos se comparan entre ambientes caracterizados por diferentes grados de perturbación en relación a la alteración del bosque y la deforestación: bosque maduro, bosque intervenido y pastizal. Los datos comparativos obtenidos permiten evaluar el límite de resiliencia de las poblaciones de palmeras frente a un gradiente de perturbación