A management tool for assessing aquaculture environmental impacts in Chilean Patagonian Fjords: integrating hydrodynamic and pellets dispersion models.

This article introduces a management tool for salmon farming, with a scope in the local sustainability of salmon aquaculture of the Aysen Fjord, Chilean Patagonia. Based on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) principles, the tool combines a large 3-level nested hydrodynamic model, a particle tracking module and a GIS application into an assessment tool for particulate waste dispersal of salmon farming activities. The model offers an open source alternative to particulate waste modeling and evaluation, contributing with valuable information for local decision makers in the process of locating new facilities and monitoring stations.

Social preferences for ecosystem services in a biodiversity hotspot in South America.

Identifying which ecosystem services are relevant to different stakeholders and understanding stakeholders' perceptions of such services is useful for making informed decisions, especially in regions of the world where the achievement of biodiversity conservation goals is threatened by economically productive activities. In this article, we assess social preferences for ecosystem services in a biodiversity hotspot in central Chile. We use a consultative case study to ask local stakeholders (n = 70) from the Campana Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve to identify the most important ecosystem services the area provides for them and inquire about the perceived vulnerability of the services to changes in the future. We also explore the association between the perceived importance of ecosystem services and the sociodemographic and cultural characteristics of the respondents, which allows us to identify contrasting stakeholder perceptions of different ecosystem services. The most important services for local actors were the drinking water, fresh air and climate change control, genetic pool of plant communities in central Chile, and educational value. From the perspective of local actors, the services that could be threatened by negative changes in the future in terms of their provision included the possibilities of developing conservation activities focused on iconic threatened animal and plant species, water regulation, food from agriculture, and drinking water. Contrasting perceptions about the importance of ecosystem services emerged among stakeholders. While small farmers and members of local organizations attributed higher importance values to provisioning services, scientists and rangers and administrators of protected areas as well as teachers, NGO members and local government employees attributed more importance to the regulating and cultural services associated with threatened species. Our results can serve as a source of information for the planning and decision-making processes related to the search for socially and ecologically sustainable solutions for land use management.

Addendum: shiue, I.; et Al. 2014 future Earth young scientists conference on integrated science and knowledge co-production for ecosystems and human well-being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public health 2014, 11, 11553-11558.

The authors would like to add the following affiliation for Peter Søgaard Jørgensen of paper [1]:   8 International Network of Next-Generation Ecologists, Universitetsparken 15, Building 3, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark[...].

2014 Future Earth Young Scientists Conference on integrated science and knowledge co-production for ecosystems and human well-being.

Effective integration in science and knowledge co-production is a challenge that crosses research boundaries, climate regions, languages and cultures. Early career scientists are crucial in the identification of, and engagement with, obstacles and opportunities in the development of innovative solutions to complex and interconnected problems. On 25-31 May 2014, International Council for Science and International Social Science Council, in collaboration with the International Network of Next-Generation Ecologists and Institute for New Economic Thinking: Young Scholars Initiative, assembled a group of early career researchers with diverse backgrounds and research perspectives to reflect on and debate relevant issues around ecosystems and human wellbeing in the transition towards green economy, funded by the German Research Foundation, at Villa Vigoni, Italy. As a group of young scientists, we have come to a consensus that collaboration and communication among a diverse group of peers from different geographic regions could break down the barriers to multi-disciplinary research designed to solve complex global-scale problems. We also propose to establish a global systematic thinking to monitor global socio-ecological systems and to develop criteria for a "good" anthropocene. Finally, we aim to bridge gaps among research, the media, and education from a governance perspective linking with "sustainable development goals".

LA EVALUACIÓN NO MONETARIA DE LOS SERVICIOS ECOSISTÉMICOS: PERSPECTIVAS PARA LA GESTIÓN SOSTENIBLE DEL TERRITORIO / THE NON-MONETARY EVALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: PERSPECTIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT

Los servicios ecosistémicos (SE) se definen como "la contribución directa o indirecta de los ecosistemas al bienestar humano". El enfoque de SE para apoyar la gestión del territorio ha sido uno de los más influyentes en las corrientes científicas y políticas en el último tiempo, y en países latinoamericanos como Chile se aprecia un interés creciente en este tema. La conexión de los ecosistemas con el bienestar de las personas permite explorar las visiones, valores, preferencias o creencias de los usuarios de los SE. Sin embargo, estos aspectos son comúnmente ignorados en las esferas políticas y en la gestión territorial chilena, dada la complejidad metodológica de abordarlos por el carácter de intangibilidad que presentan. En este artículo argumentamos sobre la necesidad de incorporar en la evaluación de los SE las dimensiones intangibles de valor y ordenamos las herramientas metodológicas que existen para ello, con el propósito de apoyar las evaluaciones de SE de gestión territorial. El estudio reporta los hallazgos de una investigación teórica donde se analizó sistemáticamente el paradigma de SE, su implicación en esferas políticas y científicas para posteriormente enfocar el análisis en la necesidad de incorporar dimensiones de valor no monetarias en la evaluación de SE, lo cual puede ser particularmente relevante en países latinoamericanos. Entre las estrategias metodológicas que permiten capturar estas dimensiones destacan técnicas participativas como grupos focales, representaciones espaciales participativas y técnicas deliberativas.

Ecosystem Services (ES) are defined as the "direct and indirect contribution of ecosystems to human well-being." The ES approach to support land management has been one of the most influential in the scientific and political schools of thought, and in Latin American countries like Chile, there is a growing interest on this topic. Connecting ecosystems with people's well-being allows exploration of visions, values, preferences or beliefs of the ES users. However, these aspects are commonly ignored in the political fields and by the Chilean land management due to the methodological complexity of addressing their character of intangibility. In this article, the need to incorporate the intangible dimensions of value in assessing ES are argued, and the methodological tools available to it are organized to support the territorial assessment of ES. The study reports the findings of a theoretical research where the paradigm of ES, its implications in political and scientific areas are analyzed, and then focuses the analysis on the need to incorporate non-monetary value dimensions on ES assessment, which may be particularly relevant in Latin American countries. Among the methodological strategies to capture these dimensions are participatory techniques such as focus groups, deliberative techniques and participatory and spatial representations.