Linkages between Water and Forests in South American Watersheds under Restoration

Water security is threatened by the rapid growth of the human population in areas where there were native forests before coupled with climate change scenarios. One of the main elements which ensures water security is water stored in soil, which is fundamental for maintaining ecohydrological processes at the watershed scale under forest land-use change. In South America, aiming to restore and recover changing catchment areas, best management practices (BMP) have been widely proposed as a strategy for water-forest resource sustainability. Based on forest evapotranspiration demand, this chapter presents fundamental concepts related to soil-water-forest cycles, watershed restoration, and case studies of BMPs in South American watersheds (e.g., Brazilian and Colombian projects for watershed conservation or restoration). It has become clear that there is an opportunity in setting baseline data and quantifying the effectiveness of these BMPs. By using ecohydrological monitoring and suitable indicators of these BMPs in the long term, an integrated understanding of water-forest relationships is needed. Furthermore, the more successful watershed management projects are, the more effective decision-making regarding BMP linking water and forests is

Berio via Pousseur e Costère: Uma proposta de análise de Sequenza VII e Chemins IV

Neste trabalho, apresenta-se uma análise dos processos composicionais da Sequenza VII e seus desdobramentos em Chemins IV, do ponto de vista melódico/harmônico. São referenciais teóricos: o princí­pio da complementaridade cromática de Catherine Losada; a tipologia criada por Henry Pousseur; o conceito de espaço contí­nuo de Albert Lautman; a ideia de latência e ressonância de Max Packer; e a Lei da Atração Universal de Edmound Costère. Um patch em ambiente MAX/MSP foi criado para auxiliar na obtenção dos resultados analí­ticos. Como considerações finais, percebe-se que o processo de estruturação melódica da linha do oboé em Sequenza VII é a disparadora de um processo de desdobramento harmônico em Chemins IV

Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) Verlot extracts obtained by biotechnological processes: extraction optimization and pharmacological evaluation.

Arrabidaea chica Verlot (Bignoniaceae), conhecida como crajiru, fornece pigmentos vermelhos utilizados pelos índios no Brasil como corante e agente cicatrizante. Este estudo visou otimizar a extração de compostos fenólicos de A. chica e avaliar sua atividade farmacológica. Extratos de A. chica foram obtidos através de tratamento com xilanases de Bacillus pumilus previamente à extração. Os ensaios foram monitorados por CLAE e ESI-MS. O tratamento enzimático forneceu extratos enriquecidos em antocianidinas. Extratos sem tratamento enzimático apresentaram maior teor de antocianosídeos. O estudo farmacológico demonstrou que as atividades anticâncer e antioxidante in vitro estão diretamente relacionadas ao maior teor de agliconas. O ensaio in vitro de indução de crescimento de fibroblastos indicou que o maior teor da aglicona carajurina é inversamente proporcional à ação cicatrizante. Portanto, foi desenvolvida uma metodologia inovadora, através de processos biotecnológicos, para extração de antocianidinas que apresentam propriedades corantes e terapêuticas.Arrabidaea chica Verlot (Bignoniaceae), known as crajiru, produces red pigments used by Brazilian indians as dye and as healing agent. This study has aimed the optimization of phenolic compounds extraction from A. chica and to evaluate its pharmacological activities. Extracts from A. chica were obtained through treatment with xylanases from Bacillus pumilus before the extraction. The assays were monitored by HPLC and ESI/MS-MS. The enzymatic treatment has produced more concentrated in anthocyanidins extracts. Those obtained without enzymatic treatment have presented higher glycosilated anthocyanins content. The pharmacologic study has demonstrated that the antitumoral and the antioxydant in vitro properties for A. chica are directly related to the higher contents of aglycones. In vitro assay for fibroblasts growth induction has demonstrated that a higher content of carajurin is inversely proportional to the healing action. In conclusion, a novel approach has been developed, through biotechnological process, aiming the extraction of anthocyanidins presenting dye and therapeutic properties

Hydrological services in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil: An ecosystem-based adaptation using ecohydrological monitoring

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) involves using services on which human well-being depends to help people adapt to the impacts of climate change. Aiming at strengthening ecosystem resilience and reducing ecosystem and people’s vulnerability, EbA has been encouraged worldwide as an option for climate change. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are incentives offered to farmers and landowners to provide an ecological service and are currently proposed as a method for EbA and water resources sustainability on a global scale. However, organized information on PES in Brazil is limited. This paper provides a concise review of PES initiatives in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, where various PES projects on watershed protection (Water-PES) have been set up. We found 16 ongoing Water-PES in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The first initiative was launched in 2005 and since then these projects have grown rapidly. In spite of the advances made in many of these initiatives, they seldom have baseline hydrologic data and an implemented strategy for ecohydrological monitoring. Thus, we discuss how PES projects could be more effective by implementing hydrological monitoring based on ecohydrological concepts. Special attention has been given to explaining how the recent Impact-Vulnerability-Adaptation idea could be integrated into Water-PES. As can be seen from the review, these projects contribute as EbA options for climate change, thereby carrying practical implications for environmental policy makers

Water quality and quantity primary data from field campaigns in the Cantareira Water Supply System, period Oct. 2013 - May 2014

Although hydrologic models provide hypothesis testing of complex dynamics occurring at catchments, freshwater quality modeling is still incipient at many subtropical headwaters. In Brazil, a few modeling studies assess freshwater nutrients, limiting policies on hydrologic ecosystem services. This paper aims to compare freshwater quality scenarios under different land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, one of them related to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), in Brazilian headwaters. Using the spatially semidistributed Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, nitrate, total phosphorous (TP) and sediment were modeled in catchments ranging from 7.2 to 1037 km². These headwaters were eligible areas of the Brazilian payment for ecosystem services (PES) projects in the Cantareira System, which had supplied water to 9 million people in the Sao Paulo metropolitan region. We considered SWAT modeling of three LULC scenarios: (i) recent past scenario (S1), with historical LULC in 1990; (ii) current land-use scenario (S2), with LULC for the period 2010-2015 with field validation; and (iii) future land-use scenario with PES (S2 + EbA). This latter scenario proposed forest cover restoration through EbA following the river basin plan by 2035. These three LULC scenarios were tested with a selected record of rainfall and evapotranspiration observed in 2006-2014, with the occurrence of extreme droughts. To assess hydrologic services, we proposed the hydrologic service index (HSI), as a new composite metric comparing water pollution levels (WPL) for reference catchments, related to the grey water footprint (greyWF) and water yield. On the one hand, water quality simulations allowed for the regionalization of greyWF at spatial scales under LULC scenarios. According to the critical threshold, HSI identified areas as less or more sustainable catchments. On the other hand, conservation practices simulated through the S2 + EbA scenario envisaged not only additional and viable best management practices (BMP), but also preventive decision-making at the headwaters of water supply systems

Blue and grey urban water footprints through citizens’ perception and time series analysis of Brazilian dynamics

From Crossref journal articles via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-03-04, issued 2021-03-04Funder: Fundação Amazônia Paraense de Amparo à Pesquisa; FundRef: 10.13039/501100005288; Grant(s): grant no. 2018/08413-6Funder: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; FundRef: 10.13039/501100002322; Grant(s): 88887.091743/2014-01Funder: FAPESP CEPID/CEMEAI; Grant(s): 2011/51305-0Funder: INCT-II [Climate Change, Water Security]Funder: CNPq PQ; Grant(s): 312056/2016-8Funder: (EESC-USP/CEMADEN/MCTIC) and CAPES PROEX [PPGSHS EESC USP]Funder: [ProAlertas CEPED/USP]Funder: CAPES/PNPD; Grant(s): grant 2016-131

Atividade de extratos de Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) Verlot obtidos por processos biotecnológicos sobre a proliferação de fibroblastos e células tumorais humanas

Arrabidaea chica (H&B) Verlot is a plant popularly known as Pariri and this species is a known source of anthocyanins, flavonoids and tannins. This report describes an approach involving enzymatic treatment prior to extraction procedures to enhance A chica crude extract anticancer activity. Anticancer activity in human cancer cell lines in vitro using a 48 h SRB cell viability assay was performed to determine growth inhibition and cytotoxic properties. The final extraction yield without enzyme treatment was higher (24.28%) compared to the enzyme-treated material (19.03%), with an enhanced aglycones anthocyanin ratio as determined by HPLC- DAD and LC-MS with direct infusion