On the mismatches between the monetary and social values of air purification in the colombian andean region: a case study

There is growing interest in air quality and air purification, due to current high pollution levels, their effects on human health, and implications for urban economies. Since the improvement of air quality carries important economic value, air-related benefits have been evaluated monetarily from two perspectives: the first relates to air quality improvements, while the second values air purification as an ecosystem function. This research opted for the second perspective, given that the study area (two Colombian municipalities) does not suffer from poor air quality conditions, but stakeholders prioritized this function as highly important to them. Contingent valuation methods were applied in order to identify the population’s probability of willingness to maintain the air purification function. Although individuals (n = 245) attribute a yearly monetary value of USD 1.5 million to air purification, it was found that, despite the high level of social importance that respondents assigned to air purification (mean = 4.7/5), this had no correlation with payment values (rho = 0.0134, p = 0.8350); that is, households do not really recognize the monetary value of all the benefits they receive or the benefits they would lose if the service suffers changes. Hence, it is posed that monetary values do not necessarily reflect the social importance that individuals assign to ecosystem services, and attention is called to the need to integrate social and monetary values into decision-making processes, so as to encompass the complexity of ecosystem services and conciliate conflicting valuation language

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Understanding the significance that cultural ecosystem services (CES) have for traditional communities will provide useful input to the design of more appropriate regional or territorial plans for the area in which they are located. We conducted semi-structured surveys in 11 indigenous communities within the corregimiento La Pedrera, of the Colombian Amazon. We analysed the CES established in the region through a study of their preferences in relation to the service providing units (SPUs) identified, using the Shannon diversity index method as an indicator of ‘diversity of use’. More CES were identified in communities with a larger population; education and recreation were the two most prevalent CES categories in the study area. Our findings also highlight the cultural importance of bodies of water, which were strongly linked with Spiritual and Sense of Place CES. Furthermore, the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessments enables a better understanding of the importance CES which have for the local communities involved in the study and may assist in the management of the indigenous territory.EDITED BY Matthias Schröte

Land use planning in the Amazon basin: Challenges from resilience thinking

Amazonia is under threat. Biodiversity and redundancy loss in the Amazon biome severely limits the long-term provision of key ecosystem services in diverse spatial scales (local, regional, and global). Resilience thinking attempts to understand the mechanisms that ensure a system’s capacity to recover in the face of external pressures, trauma, or disturbances, as well as changes in its internal dynamics. Resilience thinking also promotes relevant transformations of system configurations considered adverse or nonsustainable, and therefore proposes the simultaneous analysis of the adaptive capacity and the transformation of a system. In this context, seven principles have been proposed, which are considered crucial for social-ecological systems to become resilient. These seven principles of resilience thinking are analyzed in terms of the land use planning and land management of the Amazonian biome. To comprehend its main conflicts, challenges, and opportunities, we reveal the key aspects of the historical process of Latin America’s land management and the Amazon basin’s past and current land use changes. Based on this review, the Amazon region shows two concrete challenges for resilience: (1) the natural system’s fragmentation, as a consequence of land use limiting key ecological processes, and (2) the cultural and institutional fragmentation of land use projects designed and partially implemented in the region. In addition, the region presents challenges related to institutional design, the expansion and strengthening of real participation spaces, and the promotion of social learning. Finally, polycentric and adaptive governance is itself a major, urgent need for this region and its social-ecological complexity.Fil: Ruiz Agudelo, Cesar A.. Universidad de Bogota Jorge Tadeo Lozano (utadeo);Fil: Mazzeo, Nestor. Universidad de la Republica; Uruguay. South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies; UruguayFil: Díaz, Ismael. Universidad de la Republica; UruguayFil: Barral, María Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Piñeiro, Gervasio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Gadino, Isabel. Universidad de la Republica; UruguayFil: Roche, Ingid. Universidad de la Republica; UruguayFil: Acuña Posada, Rocio Juliana. Conservation International Foundation; Colombi

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Comprender la importancia que tienen los servicios ecosistémicos culturales (CES) para las comunidades tradicionales proporcionará información útil para el diseño de planes regionales o territoriales más apropiados para el área en la que se encuentran. Realizamos encuestas semiestructuradas en 11 comunidades indígenas dentro del corregimiento La Pedrera, de la Amazonía colombiana. Analizamos los CES establecidos en la región a través de un estudio de sus preferencias en relación a las Unidades Prestadoras de Servicio (SPU) identificadas, utilizando el método del índice de diversidad de Shannon como indicador de 'diversidad de uso'. Se identificaron más CES en comunidades con una población más grande; la educación y la recreación fueron las dos categorías de CES más prevalentes en el área de estudio. Nuestros hallazgos también destacan la importancia cultural de los cuerpos de agua, que estaban fuertemente vinculados con Spiritual y Sense of Place CES. Además, la integración de evaluaciones cualitativas y cuantitativas permite una mejor comprensión de la importancia que los CES tienen para las comunidades locales involucradas en el estudio y pueden ayudar en la gestión del territorio indígena.Understanding the significance that cultural ecosystem services (CES) have for traditional communities will provide useful input to the design of more appropriate regional or territorial plans for the area in which they are located. We conducted semi-structured surveys in 11 indigenous communities within the corregimiento La Pedrera, of the Colombian Amazon. We analysed the CES established in the region through a study of their preferences in relation to the service providing units (SPUs) identified, using the Shannon diversity index method as an indicator of 'diversity of use'. More CES were identified in communities with a larger population; education and recreation were the two most prevalent CES categories in the study area. Our findings also highlight the cultural importance of bodies of water, which were strongly linked with Spiritual and Sense of Place CES. Furthermore, the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessments enables a better understanding of the importance CES which have for the local communities involved in the study and may assist in the management of the indigenous territory.Q2Reflexión Económica, Administrativa y Contable (REAC

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Comprender la importancia que tienen los servicios ecosistémicos culturales (CES) para las comunidades tradicionales proporcionará información útil para el diseño de planes regionales o territoriales más apropiados para el área en la que se encuentran. Realizamos encuestas semiestructuradas en 11 comunidades indígenas dentro del corregimiento La Pedrera, de la Amazonía colombiana. Analizamos los CES establecidos en la región a través de un estudio de sus preferencias en relación a las Unidades Prestadoras de Servicio (SPU) identificadas, utilizando el método del índice de diversidad de Shannon como indicador de 'diversidad de uso'. Se identificaron más CES en comunidades con una población más grande; la educación y la recreación fueron las dos categorías de CES más prevalentes en el área de estudio. Nuestros hallazgos también destacan la importancia cultural de los cuerpos de agua, que estaban fuertemente vinculados con Spiritual y Sense of Place CES. Además, la integración de evaluaciones cualitativas y cuantitativas permite una mejor comprensión de la importancia que los CES tienen para las comunidades locales involucradas en el estudio y pueden ayudar en la gestión del territorio indígena.Understanding the significance that cultural ecosystem services (CES) have for traditional communities will provide useful input to the design of more appropriate regional or territorial plans for the area in which they are located. We conducted semi-structured surveys in 11 indigenous communities within the corregimiento La Pedrera, of the Colombian Amazon. We analysed the CES established in the region through a study of their preferences in relation to the service providing units (SPUs) identified, using the Shannon diversity index method as an indicator of ‘diversity of use’. More CES were identified in communities with a larger population; education and recreation were the two most prevalent CES categories in the study area. Our findings also highlight the cultural importance of bodies of water, which were strongly linked with Spiritual and Sense of Place CES. Furthermore, the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessments enables a better understanding of the importance CES which have for the local communities involved in the study and may assist in the management of the indigenous territory.Q2Reflexión Económica, Administrativa y Contable (REAC

Recognizing, normalizing and articulating: an approach to highlight plural values of water ecosystem services in Colombia

The dialectical relationship between ecosystems and society is complex; therefore, holistic approaches are required to address this complexity. This view also stands out in the ecosystem services valuation field, where different scholars and global platforms have drawn attention to the need to incorporate plural valuation initiatives at decision-making. In this sense, through a comprehensive design, we conducted a multi-layered valuation of ecosystem services, and we highlighted multiple values in two areas of the province of Caldas, Colombia. We proposed a three-phase valuation process called Recognizing, Normalizing and Articulating values. Then, in cooperation with the regional environmental authority, we obtained different water-related ecosystem services values. Our results showed some warnings: first, we found mismatches between ecosystem services values; second, people assigned high values to ecosystems but the actual capacity of ecosystems to support ES is low. Finally, monetary values were marginal compared to social and ecological values. We conclude by saying that the more strata are assessed, the more values appear in the valuation scenarios, and those values could be conflicting. Our results have political implications, since they highlight the need to incorporate plural values as a fundamental tool for planning and land use in real scenarios where conflicts of interest and values are evident