Minimising Mortality in Endangered Raptors Due to Power Lines: The Importance of Spatial Aggregation to Optimize the Application of Mitigation Measures

Electrocution by power lines is one of the main causes of non-natural mortality in birds of prey. In an area in central Spain, we surveyed 6304 pylons from 333 power lines to determine electrocution rates, environmental and design factors that may influence electrocution and the efficacy of mitigation measures used to minimise electrocution cases. A total of 952 electrocuted raptors, representing 14 different species, were observed. Electrocuted raptors were concentrated in certain areas and the environmental factors associated with increased electrocution events were: greater numbers of prey animals; greater vegetation cover; and shorter distance to roads. The structural elements associated with electrocutions were shorter strings of insulators, one or more phases over the crossarm, cross-shaped design and pylon function. Of the 952 carcasses found, 148 were eagles, including golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata). Electrocuted eagles were clustered in smaller areas than other electrocuted raptors. The factors associated with increased eagle electrocution events were: pylons function, shorter strings of insulators, higher slopes surrounding the pylon, and more numerous potential prey animals. Pylons with increased string of insulators had lower raptor electrocution rates than unimproved pylons, although this technique was unsuccessful for eagles. Pylons with cable insulation showed higher electrocution rates than unimproved pylons, both for raptors and eagles, despite this is the most widely used and recommended mitigation measure in several countries. To optimize the application of mitigation measures, our results recommend the substitution of pin-type insulators to suspended ones and elongating the strings of insulators

Publisher Correction: Hydro-climatic changes of wetlandscapes across the world

Assessments of ecosystem service and function losses of wetlandscapes (i.e., wetlands and their hydrological catchments) suffer from knowledge gaps regarding impacts of ongoing hydro-climatic change. This study investigates hydro-climatic changes during 1976–2015 in 25 wetlandscapes distributed across the world’s tropical, arid, temperate and cold climate zones. Results show that the wetlandscapes were subject to precipitation (P) and temperature (T) changes consistent with mean changes over the world’s land area. However, arid and cold wetlandscapes experienced higher T increases than their respective climate zone. Also, average P decreased in arid and cold wetlandscapes, contrarily to P of arid and cold climate zones, suggesting that these wetlandscapes are located in regions of elevated climate pressures. For most wetlandscapes with available runoff (R) data, the decreases were larger in R than in P, which was attributed to aggravation of climate change impacts by enhanced evapotranspiration losses, e.g. caused by land-use changes

Identification of wetland areas in the context of agricultural development using remote sensing and GIS [Identificación de áreas de humedal en el contexto del desarrollo agrícola usando teledetección y SIG]

This study aims to determine the wetland potential on a pixel basis on the floodplain of the Leon River: hydrology, hydrophytic vegetation and hydromorphic soils were taken into account. Field measurements and spatially explicit models were used to model surface hydrology and piezometric levels. Satellite data were used to derive inundated areas and vegetation. Existing maps from the national geographic institute (IGAC) were used to define the spatial distribution of hydromorphic soils. Special attention was paid to agricultural infrastructure, levees and diversion channels used to modify surface hydrology in order to promote plantations and cattle grazing. A total of 536 km2 meet one or more wetland conditions according to biophysical variables, but only 393 km2 were selected, using logical rules, as wetland pixels. The combination of biophysical variables to define wetland potential is discussed in terms of the spatial distribution and the implications for environmental resource management. © The author; licensee Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Perú

La quinua es uno de los granos alimenticios utilizados en el Perú desde épocas remotas y fue uno de los cultivos básicos junto con el maíz, la papa y las raíces y tubérculos andinos antes de la época prehispánica. Aproximadamente 500 años después de la conquista española, el área cultivada se redujo en forma significativa, especialmente en los valles interandinos de la sierra central y norte, manteniéndose su cultivo en forma continua en el Altiplano de Puno, en sistemas de cultivo ancestrales o aynokas que permitieron conservar la diversidad genética. En el resto de la sierra se produjo una erosión genética y cultural del cultivo de la quinua. Es en la década de los 2000 donde se desarrolla un mercado de consumo estable de la quinua en el mercado internacional y nacional con precios adecuados que ha impulsado el cultivo de la quinua a niveles de importancia económica. Con la revaloración de la quinua se inicia un crecimiento paulatino de la superficie, la cual está entre 70 a 80% localizada en Puno y el 20 a 30% en los valles interandinos y zonas altas del resto de la Sierra; iniciándose su cultivo en la región de la costa con rendimientos que superan los 7000 kg/ha. Paralelamente al crecimiento del área y mercado se realizaron trabajos de investigación en tecnologías de cultivo, mejoramiento y procesamiento de la quinua. Actualmente el Perú es uno de los principales países productores y exportadores de quinua. En el 2012, la superficie cultivada con quinua alcanzó las 38495 ha, con un rendimiento promedio nacional de 1149 y una producción total de 44,210 toneladas

Evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The development of nucleic acid-based technologies has improved the sensitivity, specificity and speed of detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples. Both commercially available and ´in-house´ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems are in use, and a significant number of reports compare such systems with more traditional diagnostic tools for tuberculosis. Few studies, however, have focused on the reproducibility of the results when submitting a sample batch to PCR in different laboratories, especially in developing countries. Consequently, PCR results obtained from six laboratories in six different Latin American countries for samples reconstituted with defined amounts of M. tuberculosis cells were evaluated. Each laboratory used specific conditions of sample processing, nucleic acid amplification and amplicon detection. Analysis of results allowed large differences in sensitivity and specificity to be observed. We conclude that in its present setting, in-house PCR cannot be used as a single diagnostic tool for tuberculosis, and that special care needs to be taken upon interpretation of results by inclusion of a proper number of positive and negative controls.Fil: Suffys, P.. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Palomino, J. C.. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; PerúFil: Cardoso Leão, S.. Universidade Federal de São Paulo; BrasilFil: Espitia Cogollo, Edeimis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Cataldi, Ángel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Alito, A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Velasco, M.. Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile. Seccion Micobacterias y Unidad de Biología Molecular; ChileFil: Robledo, J,. Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas; ColombiaFil: Fernandez, J.. Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas; ColombiaFil: Rosa, P. da Silva. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Romano, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentin

Data for wetlandscapes and their changes around the world

Geography and associated hydrological, hydroclimate and land-use conditions and their changes determine the states and dynamics of wetlands and their ecosystem services. The influences of these controls are not limited to just the local scale of each individual wetland but extend over larger landscape areas that integrate multiple wetlands and their total hydrological catchment-the wetlandscape. However, the data and knowledge of conditions and changes over entire wetlandscapes are still scarce, limiting the capacity to accurately understand and manage critical wetland ecosystems and their services under global change. We present a new Wetlandscape Change Information Database (WetCID), consisting of geographic, hydrological, hydroclimate and land-use information and data for 27 wetlandscapes around the world. This combines survey-based local information with geographic shapefiles and gridded datasets of large-scale hydroclimate and land-use conditions and their changes over whole wetlandscapes. Temporally, WetCID contains 30-year time series of data for mean monthly precipitation and temperature and annual land-use conditions. The survey-based site information includes local knowledge on the wetlands, hydrology, hydroclimate and land uses within each wetlandscape and on the availability and accessibility of associated local data. This novel database (available through PANGAEA https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.907398; Ghajarnia et al., 2019) can support site assessments; cross-regional comparisons; and scenario analyses of the roles and impacts of land use, hydroclimatic and wetland conditions, and changes in whole-wetlandscape functions and ecosystem services.. © 2005 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved

Priorities and interactions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with focus on wetlands

Wetlands are often vital physical and social components of a country's natural capital, as well as providers of ecosystem services to local and national communities. We performed a network analysis to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for sustainable development in iconic wetlands and wetlandscapes around the world. The analysis was based on the information and perceptions on 45 wetlandscapes worldwide by 49 wetland researchers of the GlobalWetland Ecohydrological Network (GWEN). We identified three 2030 Agenda targets of high priority across the wetlandscapes needed to achieve sustainable development: Target 6.3-"Improve water quality"; 2.4-"Sustainable food production"; and 12.2-"Sustainable management of resources". Moreover, we found specific feedback mechanisms and synergies between SDG targets in the context of wetlands. The most consistent reinforcing interactions were the influence of Target 12.2 on 8.4-"Efficient resource consumption"; and that of Target 6.3 on 12.2. The wetlandscapes could be differentiated in four bundles of distinctive priority SDG-targets: "Basic human needs", "Sustainable tourism", "Environmental impact in urban wetlands", and "Improving and conserving environment". In general, we find that the SDG groups, targets, and interactions stress that maintaining good water quality and a "wise use" of wetlandscapes are vital to attaining sustainable development within these sensitive ecosystems. © 2019 by the authors

Priorities and interactions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with focus on wetlands

10.3390/w11030619Water (Switzerland)11361

Servicios ecosistémicos: un enfoque introductorio con experiencias del occidente colombiano

Con el interés de transmitir y apropiar diversas comunidades en temáticas asociadas a los servicios ecosistémicos, el presente libro entrega 15 capítulos que aproximarán al lector hacia la conceptualización y apropiación de conocimientos básicos,  asociados a los diversos servicios ecosistémicos brindados generosamente por la naturaleza. El capítulo 1, Introducción al estado del arte de los servicios ecosistémicos en la región occidental colombiana, introduce al lector hacia la apropiación conceptual de los servicios ecosistémicos, contando experiencias relevantes del contexto colombiano. Los 14 capítulos posteriores también tendrán una fase introductoria, estudios de caso basados en experiencias del occidente colombiano y resultados de investigaciones realizadas por los autores. En estos capítulos, el lector encontrará información relevante sobre cuatro grupos de servicios ecosistémicos: abastecimiento, regulación, apoyo y culturales. Este libro es el resultado del arduo trabajo consolidado por un equipo interdisciplinario que, a partir de la integración de saberes y resultados de investigación, logró construir un material de lenguaje sencillo que se espera sea de gran utilidad para diversos lectores interesados en apropiarse del conocimiento básico, orientado hacia la familiarización y el compromiso con la protección de los ecosistemas y sus servicios