Mainstreaming the ecosystem services approach in strategic environmental assessment of spatial planning in Chile

Spatial planning plays a key role in policy decision-making given its influence on the future changes over the land systems and subsequently on the quality, quantity and spatial distribution of the ecosystem services (ES) that they provide. A variety of strategies and instruments has been applied for integrating environmental objectives as well as concerns regarding the impacts generated by development planning policies. Thus, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is considered today as a key instrument that helps to integrate environmental and sustainability issues in decision-making creating conditions for sustainable development along with a transparent and participatory process. Here, the ES approach gains relevance by offering a more holistic integration of the socio-ecological system and facilitating the communication and understanding of diverse stakeholders and decision makers during the planning process. However, despite the advantages offered by the ES approach, there is still a low level of explicit integration in both the spatial planning regulations and practical applications. This research addresses the issue of integrating the ES approach in SEA at different scales in order to identify the possibilities and challenges for implementing this integrated framework in real-world spatial planning. This study was carried out in Chile where three main methodological steps were followed: 1) identification of the multiple actors related to the spatial planning and environmental assessment process as well as the networks among them based on the ES and SEA understanding, 2) exploration whether this integration is currently present at some point in the planning system and how ES have been considered so far in the development of spatial plans at different scales, and 3) participatory identification and prioritization of ecosystem services for scenario development in regional planning. The main findings suggest that: 1) a common understanding related to SEA and especially to ES is still in an initial stage in Chile when the context of multiple actors is considered. Additionally, a lack of institutional guidelines and methodological support is considered the main challenge for integration, 2) ES were always present across each SEA stage and planning scale. Moreover, a relation is suggested between specific ES and the scope and focus of the different spatial planning instruments, and 3) the most important land-uses in terms of supplying a range of ES, benefits and beneficiaries were wetlands and native forest. In addition, provisioning ES was the most representative section after a prioritization process but closely followed by regulating ES. It can be concluded that ES are clearly necessary for achieving a number of development objectives and dealing with a range of environmental problems. However, a critical aspect is the lack of an explicit consideration, which might decrease the potential advantages offered by the integrated framework ES-SEA. Furthermore, preconditions exist in Chile for integrating ES in SEA and the spatial planning practice, but they strongly depend on an appropriate governance scheme that encourages a close science-policy interaction as well as collaborative work and learning.Die Raumplanung spielt eine wesentliche Rolle in politischen Entscheidungsprozessen, da sie einen Einfluss auf zukünftige Änderungen der Landsysteme hat und damit auch auf die Qualität, Quantität und räumliche Verteilung der Ökosystemleistungen (ES) beeinflusst, die von den Landsystemen bereitgestellt werden. Verschiedene Strategien und Instrumente wurden eingesetzt, um sowohl Umweltziele zu integrieren als auch Bedenken wegen der Auswirkungen durch die Raumplanungspolitik zu berücksichtigen. Daher wird die strategische Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung (SEA) heutzutage als wichtiges Instrument gesehen, welches es ermöglicht, Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsthemen in Entscheidungsprozesse einzubeziehen und somit die Voraussetzung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung mit transparenten und partizipativen Prozessen schafft. In diesem Zusammenhang gewinnt der ES-Ansatz an Relevanz, da er stärker eine ganzheitliche Integration des sozio-ökologischen Systems ermöglicht und die Kommunikation und das Verständnis verschiedener Interessengruppen und Entscheidungsträger während des Planungsprozesses vereinfacht. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Thema der Integration des ES-Ansatzes in der SEA auf verschiedenen Ebenen, um Möglichkeiten und Herausforderung der Umsetzung dieses integrierten Rahmenwerks in der realen Raumplanung zu identifizieren. Diese Studie wurde in Chile mittels drei wesentlicher methodischer Schritte durchgeführt: 1) Identifizierung der verschiedenen Akteure, die an der Raumplanung und dem Umweltbewertungsprozess beteiligt sind sowie die Identifizierung der Netzwerke zwischen ihnen, welche auf dem Verständnis des ES-Ansatzes und der SEA beruhen, 2) Überprüfung, ob die Integration bereits teilweise im Planungssystem vorzufinden ist und wie die ES bisher in der Entwicklung von Raumplänen auf verschiedenen Ebenen berücksichtigt wurden, 3) partizipative Identifizierung und Priorisierung der ES für die Szenarienentwicklung in der Regionalplanung. Die Hauptergebnisse zeigen, 1) dass sich in Chile ein gemeinsames Verständnis der SEA und vor allem der ES noch in der Anfangsphase befindet, wenn man den Kontext verschiedener Akteure berücksichtigt. Außerdem kann ein Fehlen institutioneller Richtlinien und methodischer Unterstützung als wichtigste Herausforderung der Integration identifiziert werden, 2) dass die ES in den verschiedenen SEA-Phasen und Planungsebenen stets vorhanden waren. Außerdem kann ein Zusammenhang zwischen bestimmter ES und dem Umfang sowie der Ausrichtung verschiedener Raumplanungsinstrumente angenommen werden, und 3) dass die wichtigsten Landnutzungen, welche eine Reihe von ES zur Verfügung stellen, Feuchtgebiete und heimische Wälder sind. Zudem waren die bereitstellenden ES nach einem Priorisierungprozess am meisten vertreten, dicht gefolgt von den regulierenden ES. Folglich ist die Integration des ES-Ansatzes eindeutig notwendig, um eine Anzahl von Entwicklungszielen zu erreichen und um eine Reihe von Umweltproblemen zu behandeln. Jedoch ist es als kritisch anzusehen, dass die ausdrückliche Berücksichtigung des ES-Ansatzes fehlt, sodass die möglichen Vorteile des integrierten Rahmenwerks ES-SEA verringert werden könnten. Zudem sind die Voraussetzungen für die Integration der ES in die SEA in der Raumplanungspraxis in Chile gegeben, jedoch sind sie stark von einem geeigneten Regelungssystem abhängig, welches eine enge Zusammenarbeit zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik sowie den Wissensaustausch fördert

Advances and challenges in the implementation of strategic environmental assessment in Chile

After almost 20 years of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Chile, in 2010 the country adopted a more strategic view in order to include sustainability objectives in the development of policies and plans: the strategic environmental assessment (SEA). For supporting this new process, the Ministry of Environment developed a series of guidelines delineating the focus and methodology for an adequate implementation of SEA. These guidelines have been widely embraced by different actors as a reference to elaborate the environmental reports. In this opinion letter, we express our view upon the advances and challenges in the development of the SEA process in Chile and the role of evolving guidelines that have shaped the current implementation. The most relevant advances are related to an increasing awareness regarding the integration of sustainability issues in decision-making and the complementarity of SEA with the elaboration of policies and plans. Challenges are still present, and they are mainly related to the practical implementation rather than the availability of guidelines, where SEA is slowly being understood as different from the traditional EI

Justicia ocupacional y expectativas laborales en jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual leve que asisten al Centro de Capacitación Laboral de Educación Especial Paulo Freire de la Ciudad de Concepción, Región del Biobío

Tesis (Terapeuta Ocupacional)La presente investigación corresponde a un estudio de tipo cualitativo – fenomenológico, el cual tiene por objetivo develar y conocer cómo se configuran las expectativas en la participación laboral de jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual leve, que actualmente se encuentran dentro del programa de capacitación laboral, en el centro de capacitación laboral Paulo Freire de la Ciudad de Concepción, Chile. Visibilizando, cómo se constituyen sus expectativas en relación a la adquisición de un puesto de trabajo, y se ven enfrentados a los diversos imaginarios de discriminación y exclusión impuestos por la sociedad. La muestra corresponde a jóvenes y a profesional docente del programa institucional. En consecuencia, se realiza un acercamiento a diversos estudios sobre personas con discapacidad (PcD), ligados al contexto y ejercicio laboral, dando a conocer las diferentes dimensiones que se materializan sobre las expectativas de estos sujetos, tales como; la familia, educación, condiciones socioeconómicas y político-legislativas. De esta forma, se busca profundizar en las diversas condiciones y contextos situados, que condicionan las prácticas laborales de estos jóvenes, y como estas se expresan en injusticia ocupacional. El posicionamiento de la investigación, se fundamenta desde el enfoque de derechos, y el marco de la Justicia Ocupacional, entendiendo que el rol de la Terapia Ocupacional social en estos contextos, asume y promueve el reconocimiento de los sujetos, por medio de sus ocupaciones, y circunstancias que dan sentido y significado a la vida

Integration of ecosystem services in strategic environmental assessment across spatial planning scales

Spatial planning is a key policy instrument for decision-making which drives future changes to land systems, and subsequently to the quality, quantity and spatial distribution of ecosystem services (ES). Supply and demand of ES vary from local to regional and global scales affecting a wide range of stakeholders. Therefore, a strategic analysis of the potential impacts is highly relevant. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is considered a suitable instrument for analyzing these impacts as well as for integrating ES during the planning process given its focus on sustainability and environmental aspects at strategic levels. However, an essential task consists of testing the applicability of the SEA-ES framework in real-world spatial planning. The objective of this research is to explore how ES have been considered in the development of spatial plans at different scales by considering a sample of SEA reports. We focused on a case study in Chile, where we conducted a content analysis of different stages of the SEA process at regional, inter-municipal and municipal planning scales. Our results demonstrate that ES were always present across each SEA stage and planning scale. Additionally, we suggest a relation between specific ES and the scope and focus of the different spatial planning instruments. Although ES are clearly necessary for achieving a number of development objectives and dealing with a range of environmental problems, a critical aspect is the lack of an explicit consideration which might decrease the potential advantages offered by the integrated framework SEA-E

Manual para los grupos de interaprendizaje - GIA

El manual que a continuación se presenta pretende ser una guía para coordinadores y supervisores, con el fin de apoyarlos en los procesos de formación continua que se desarrollan a través de los grupos de interaprendizaje (GIA). La intención de este documento es que coordinadores y supervisores utilicen el contenido que aquí se propone, como pautas conceptuales y metodológicas, que puedan ser aplicadas según las particularidades y necesidades de capacitación de los facilitadores a su cargo. Su contenido está organizado en tres capítulos. El primero, refiere aspectos generales relacionados a la conceptualización de los grupos de interaprendizaje; el segundo, describe una propuesta operacional de desarrollo de una reunión de GIA; el tercero, contiene los instrumentos que se utilizan para captar la información del desempeño del supervisor y el procesamiento de la misma

Above- and below-ground net primary productivity across ten Amazonian forests on contrasting soils

Copyright © 2009 European Geosciences Union. This is the published version available at http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/2759/2009/bg-6-2759-2009.html © Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.The net primary productivity (NPP) of tropical forests is one of the most important and least quantified components of the global carbon cycle. Most relevant studies have focused particularly on the quantification of the above-ground coarse wood productivity, and little is known about the carbon fluxes involved in other elements of the NPP, the partitioning of total NPP between its above- and below-ground components and the main environmental drivers of these patterns. In this study we quantify the above- and below-ground NPP of ten Amazonian forests to address two questions: (1) How do Amazonian forests allocate productivity among its above- and below-ground components? (2) How do soil and leaf nutrient status and soil texture affect the productivity of Amazonian forests? Using a standardized methodology to measure the major elements of productivity, we show that NPP varies between 9.3±1.3MgC ha−1 yr−1 (mean±standard error), at a white sand plot, and 17.0±1.4MgC ha−1 yr−1 at a very fertile Terra Preta site, with an overall average of 12.8±0.9MgC ha−1 yr−1. The studied forests allocate on average 64±3% and 36±3% of the total NPP to the above and below-ground components, respectively. The ratio of above-ground and below-ground NPP is almost invariant with total NPP. Litterfall and fine root production both increase with total NPP, while stem production shows no overall trend. Total NPP tends to increase with soil phosphorus and leaf nitrogen status. However, allocation of NPP to below-ground shows no relationship to soil fertility, but appears to decrease with the increase of soil clay content

Search for supersymmetry in events with large missing transverse momentum, jets, and at least one tau lepton in 20 fb−1 of √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry (SUSY) in events with large missing transverse momentum, jets, at least one hadronically decaying tau lepton and zero or one additional light leptons (electron/muon), has been performed using 20.3fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at √s= 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation is observed in the various signal regions and 95% confidence level upper limits on the visible cross section for new phenomena are set. The results of the analysis are interpreted in several SUSY scenarios, significantly extending previous limits obtained in the same final states. In the framework of minimal gauge-mediated SUSY breaking models, values of the SUSY breaking scale Λ below 63 TeV are excluded, independently of tan β. Exclusion limits are also derived for an mSUGRA/CMSSM model, in both the R-parity-conserving and R-parity-violating case. A further interpretation is presented in a framework of natural gauge mediation, in which the gluino is assumed to be the only light coloured sparticle and gluino masses below 1090 GeV are excluded

Advances and challenges in the implementation of strategic environmental assessment in Chile

After almost 20 years of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Chile, in 2010 the country adopted a more strategic view in order to include sustainability objectives in the development of policies and plans: the strategic environmental assessment (SEA). For supporting this new process, the Ministry of Environment developed a series of guidelines delineating the focus and methodology for an adequate implementation of SEA. These guidelines have been widely embraced by different actors as a reference to elaborate the environmental reports. In this opinion letter, we express our view upon the advances and challenges in the development of the SEA process in Chile and the role of evolving guidelines that have shaped the current implementation. The most relevant advances are related to an increasing awareness regarding the integration of sustainability issues in decision-making and the complementarity of SEA with the elaboration of policies and plans. Challenges are still present, and they are mainly related to the practical implementation rather than the availability of guidelines, where SEA is slowly being understood as different from the traditional EIA

Organización y participación en la comunidad : guía metodológica

Las guías metodológicas para Ciclo Inicial (cuatro) tienen como finalidad orientar a los docentes (supervisores, promotores, facilitadores, maestros) para la utilización de los Cuadernos de Trabajo. Ofrecen propuestas metodológicas y didácticas acerca de las actividades y ejercicios que se presentan en los cuadernos.Ministerio de Educación. RIEJAPE

Nosotros y nosotras : guía metodológica

Las guías metodológicas para Ciclo Inicial (cuatro) tienen como finalidad orientar a los docentes (supervisores, promotores, facilitadores, maestros) para la utilización de los Cuadernos de Trabajo. Ofrecen propuestas metodológicas y didácticas acerca de las actividades y ejercicios que se presentan en los cuadernos.Ministerio de Educación. RIEJAPE