El camino hacia la sostenibilidad en el País Vasco. La Agenda 21 en Vitoria-Gasteiz

The article deals with actions carried out by the Department of Environment and Regional Planning for the Basque Government in order to suppost the introduction of Local Agenda 21 in Basque municipalities. Special emphasis is placed on networking via intermunicipal cooperation. By way of acase study, the municipal area of Vitoria-Gasteiz -pioneer in the region for implementing the said Local Agenda 21- has been chosen, providing an opportunityt o make an initial assessment of its achievements and failures.El artículo aborda las actuaciones llevadas a cabo por el Departanlento de Ordenación del Territorio y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno Vasco para impulsar la implantación de la Agenda 21 Local en los municipios vascos. Se hace especial hincapié en la promoción del trabajo en red a través de la cooperación intermunicipal. Como estudio de caso, se ha elegido el rnunicipio de Vitoria-Gasteiz, pionero en la región en la puesta en marcha de dicha Agenda 21 Local, lo que permite realizar una primera valoración de sus logros y fracasos

Assessment of phenolic herbicide toxicity and mode of action by different assays

A phytotoxicity assay based on seed germination/root elongation has been optimized and used to evaluate the toxic effects of some phenolic herbicides. The method has been improved by investigating the influence of experimental conditions. Lepidium sativum was chosen as the most suitable species, showing high germinability, good repeatability of root length measurements, and low sensitivity to seed pretreatment. DMSO was the most appropriate solvent carrier for less water-soluble compounds. Three dinitrophenols and three hydroxybenzonitriles were tested: dinoterb, DNOC, 2,4-dinitrophenol, chloroxynil, bromoxynil, and ioxynil. Toxicity was also determined using the Vibrio fischeri MicrotoxA (R) test, and a highly significant correlation was found between EC50 values obtained by the two assays. Dinoterb was the most toxic compound. The toxicity of hydroxybenzonitriles followed the order: ioxynil > bromoxynil > chloroxynil; L. sativum exhibited a slightly higher sensitivity than V. fischeri to these compounds. A QSAR analysis highlighted the importance of hydrophobic, electronic, and hydrogen-bonding interactions, in accordance with a mechanism of toxic action based on protonophoric uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. The results suggest that the seed germination/root elongation assay with L. sativum is a valid tool for the assessment of xenobiotic toxicity and can be recommended as part of a test battery

Postproductivismo y medio ambiente Perspectivas geograficas sobre el espacio rural. Ponencias

Centro de Informacion y Documentacion Cientifica (CINDOC). C/Joaquin Costa, 22. 28002 Madrid. SPAIN / CINDOC - Centro de Informaciòn y Documentaciòn CientìficaSIGLEESSpai