The Source-to-Sea Landscape: A hybrid integrative territory management approach.

Whether fresh or salty, water is a unique resource, a continuum interlinked by the hydrological cycle. It forms a complex system connected to the landscape. When the landscape is altered, water flows and their benefits are impacted. Degraded land compromises water resources. The governance and management of landscape and water resources are handled in a fragmented manner and in separate contexts. The Source-to-Sea approach offers an integrative vision based on systems thinking that focuses its concerns on the interaction among parts, flows, and processes. It proposes a framework for the governance and management of freshwater and marine water but does not bring the landscape into the context of the approach. This research used an analytical-deductive method to explore the interactions and connections between the Source-to-sea approach, landscape concepts and approaches, and the guidelines of the European Landscape Convention. The main objective was to identify and assess the feasibility of integrating these elements. The integration resulted in a governance and management approach termed the S2S Landscape approach. It is grounded in systems thinking, practical learning, active participation, and adaptive governance and management, providing an integrated vision between landscape and water. The approach includes four essential steps (Comprehension, Involvement, Planning, and Execution and Monitoring) that address the complex connections that freshwater and marine water maintain in the landscape, considering physical, biological, socio-environmental, and economic aspects across all segments, from the land to the open sea. This S2S Landscape approach may be the path to address the challenges of governance and sustainable management of resources in an interconnected and constantly changing world.

Physical, ecological and human dimensions of environmental change in Brazil's Pantanal wetland: Synthesis and research agenda.

The Pantanal is the world's largest freshwater wetland, located in the geographical centre of South America. It is relatively well conserved, and features unique landscapes, ecosystems, and traditional cultural practices, shaped by the dynamic interaction of climatological, hydrological, geological, ecological, and anthropogenic factors. Its ecological integrity is increasingly threatened by human activities, particularly, in the wider catchment area, for example, deforestation, agricultural intensification, and construction of hydropower plants, with implications for local people's livelihoods. We present a synthesis of current literature on physical, ecological, and human dimensions of environmental change in the wetland, outline key research gaps, and discuss environmental management implications. The literature review suggests that better integration of insights from multiple disciplines is needed and that environmental management could be improved through a better grounding in traditional practices and local perspectives. We conclude with four recommendations: First, future environmental change research should build more strongly on the positive example of a small number of case studies where traditional and local knowledge of the environment was put into a dialogue with scientific knowledge and techniques. Second, we recommend a more explicit consideration of longer temporal scales (>10 years) in environmental change research, making use of oral and written histories, as well as palaeoecological techniques, to understand system responses to different magnitudes of human and climatic pressures, and ultimately, to inform future adaptation activities. Third, we suggest that enhanced stakeholder participation in conceiving and implementing research projects in the Pantanal would strengthen the practical relevance of research in addressing environmental management challenges, livelihood needs, and advocacy processes. Fourth, we call for a more systemic and integrative perspective on environmental education, which encompasses engagement activities between researchers, policy-makers, and citizens, to foster environmental awareness, scientific literacy, and public participation.

Características socioeconômicas e alimentares como intervenientes na deficiência de vitamina A em estudantes de área rural no Distrito Federal / Influence of socioeconomic and dietary factors on vitamin A deficiency among students in the rural area of the Federal District, Center-west Brazil

O objetivo do presente trabalho será investigar possíveis efeitos das características socioeconômicas sobre os níveis plasmáticos de vitamina A em estudantes de uma comunidade escolar rural do Distrito Federal. O estudo envolveu 142 famílias rurais, cujos filhos eram estudantes da Escola Classe Osório Bacchin, localizada em Planaltina-Distrito Federal. As informações socioeconômicas foram obtidas mediante questionário aplicado aos pais ou responsáveis. As características das práticas alimentares foram obtidas pelo inquérito nutricional. A vitamina A foi dosada no plasma por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência, sendo considerada como deficiência de vitamina A, nível inferior a 20 ug/dL. Os dados mostraram condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis na comunidade estudada. Cerca de 60 por cento das famílias apresentaram renda mensal de um salário mínimo, e 34 por cento dos pais ou responsável dos estudantes eram analfabetos. Quanto à análise de vitamina A, 34 por cento dos estudantes apresentaram deficiência. Os resultados mostraram que a prevalência de deficiência de vitamina A foi maior nos estudantes cujos responsáveis possuíam algum nível de escolarização e faixa derenda entre 2-5 salários mínimos. Embora o estudo tenha demonstrado condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis e deficiência de vitamina A elevada, não foi encontrada associação significativa entre essas variáveis. O presente estudo não encontrou associações entre as baixas condições socioeconômicas dos estudantes e a deficiência de vitaminaA, mas salientamos que a elevada prevalência dessa deficiência entre os estudantes evidencia um problema de saúde pública, cuja extensão no Centro-Oeste brasileiro deveria ser investigada. Tais resultados apontam para a necessidade de uma maior atenção dos órgãos governamentais quanto à questão da segurança alimentar.

To examine the possible influences of socioeconomic factors on the plasma levels of vitamin A among children and teenagers in the community of a rural school in the Federal District, center-west Brazil. This study involved 142 rural families whose children attended classes at the Escola Classe Osório acchin (located in Planaltina, a city about 50 km from Brasilia). The socioeconomic data were collected through a questionnaire answered by the students’ parents or guardians. The characteristics of their dietary habits were obtained through a nutritional inquiry. The vitamin A plasma level was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography, and was found lower than 20 ug/dL. The collected data showed adverse socioeconomic conditionsof the community participating in the study. Around 60´percent of the familieshad a monthly income of one national minimum wage, and 34 percent of theparents were illiterate. As for vitamin A evaluation, 34 percent of the studentsshowed vitamin A deficiency. The results showed that the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was higher among students whose parents had some formal education and monthly income between 2 to 5 times the national minimum wage. Although the study had showed adverse socioeconomicconditions and high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency, a significant link between these variables were not found. The present study did not find a link between adverse socioeconomic conditions and vitamin A deficiency, but stresses thatthe high prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among children and teenagersattending this rural school, identify a public health problem in the Center-west region of Brazil that should be investigated. These results point to the necessity of governmental action concerning food safety.