Baseline values and environmental assessment for metal(loid)s in soils under a tropical rainy climate in a Colombian region.

The baseline values for metal(loid)s in soils are known as a tool for the evaluation, prevention, and monitoring of the environmental quality of the soil. The main aim is to propose baseline values for metal(loid)s through the analysis of the concentrations in soils within natural areas; additionally, this study attempts to assess the environmental quality of soils in agricultural areas. The study was developed in the Piedemonte Llanero from Colombia a region with more than 5000 mm year-1 of pluviometry. A total of 90 soil samples were collected in agricultural and natural areas. Chemical analysis was conducted by acid digestion following the method EPA 3050B and determined the metal(loid)s (Al, As, Fe, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) through ICP-OES. This is the first time that baseline values are proposed for a region in Colombia. The values proposed (expressed in mg kg-1) are Cd (0.3), As (2.8), Cu (9.9), Ni (10.2), Pb (11.3), Cr (21.1), Zn (28.2), Mn (83.8), Mg (348), Fe (22,775), and Al (28,975). These values are comparatively lower than those reported for other regions in Latin America and the rest of the world. Also, agricultural soils are not contaminated. The possible explanation is as a consequence of the intense washing caused by the intense rainfall of the place. The results also demonstrated that the soils in this region are not contaminated. Finally, these advances will allow public and private organizations to establish criteria for the environmental and sustainable management of soils, especially on agricultural activities.

New record of Arcella gandalfi (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida) from Colombia.

The reports of testate amoebae species in Colombia are limited to a few studies in lentic and peat bog systems; however, the diversity in lotic systems has been poorly investigated. Zooplankton sampling was performed in lotic environments of the Piedemonte Llanero in Colombia. Ten individuals of the species Arcella gandalfi were identified to document the first record of A. gandalfi from the Piedemonte Llanero in Colombia, expanding its distribution from Brazil to Colombia. This finding corroborates the status of A. gandalfi as a flagship species from the South America continent.

Assessment of urban environmental quality through the measurement of lead in bryophytes: case study in a medium-sized city.

The use of bryophytes as an indicator of environmental quality has been addressed on numerous occasions and in different places of the world under a variety of conditions. However, in Latin America their use is still limited. In the study described here, the presence and distribution of the bioaccumulation of lead in bryophytes has been evaluated in both contaminated and uncontaminated sites in Villavicencio (Colombia) and its surroundings. Villavicencio is a medium-sized city that is similar in size to many other cities in Latin America. A total of 52 samples of bryophytes were collected, of which 43 belong to points distributed in urban areas of the city (residential, commercial, highway), and the remaining nine are from uncontaminated areas (reference) taken in the surroundings of the city. The samples were treated with acid (nitric and hydrochloric) and subsequently measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. It was found that Pb concentrations in the commercial sector are between 1 and 6 times higher than in the residential and highway sectors. Spatial distribution maps of lead over the sampled territory were created using Arc-GIS 10.1. It is noteworthy that the values obtained are higher than those found in European cities.

Land-use-dependent spatial variation and exposure risk of heavy metals in road-deposited sediment in Villavicencio, Colombia.

Urbanization-induced land-use changes cause several environmental problems, especially in developing countries due to a lack of sufficient urban planning. This study was performed in a medium-size city of Villavicencio, Colombia. Copper, lead, nickel, zinc, chromium, manganese, and cadmium in road-deposited sediment (RDS) from different land uses were determined. Multiple geo- and statistical approaches of geographic information system mapping, Pearson correlation, Kruskal-Wallis H, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and principal component analyze (PCA) were employed to assess the influence of land use on the metals' spatial distribution. The enrichment of given metals in RDS was evaluated by geo-accumulation (Igeo) and pollution load (PLI) indexes. The exposure human health risk was assessed by hazard index (HI). Results show that the average contents of the given metals decreased in the order of commercial > residential > highway > government institutions and public parks areas. Commercial areas thereafter always have the highest metals enrichment (Igeo) and pollution level (PLI). HI assessment indicates that child has a higher health risk than adult due to the exposure to metals in RDS. HCA analysis reveals that surface roughness had a more direct influence than land-use type on metals' distribution. Kruskal-Wallis H test further suggests land-use type had a significant influence on certain metals' spatial variation. Two potential (group) sources of geochemical and vehicular sources, along with leaded petrol and paintings, were inferred to be the main contributors to metals in RDS by PCA analysis.

Evaluación de la sostenibilidad de los cultivos de arroz y palma de aceite en la cuenca del río Guayuriba (Meta, Colombia), a través de la evaluación de huella hídrica / Evaluation of Sustainability of Rice and Palm Oil Crops in the Guayuriba River Basin (Meta, Colombia), through water footprint evaluation / Avaliação da Sustentabilidade das Culturas de Arroz e Óleo de Palma Na Bacia do Rio Guayuriba (Meta, Colombia) Através da Avaliação da Pegada Hídrica

Resumen El agua es uno de los principales recursos que se utilizan en las actividades agrícolas y por eso es necesario evaluar el uso del agua en los cultivos predominantes en el Departamento del Meta, lo que permitirá tomar decisiones frente a la planificación del territorio, teniendo en cuenta las ofertas y demandas hídricas. Debido a esto el objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar el uso del agua en los cultivos de palma de aceite (Elaeis sp.) y arroz secano (Oryza sativa), en la cuenca del río Guayuriba, este trabajo se desarrolló utilizando el indicador de huella hídrica, donde estuvo basado en los parámetros productivos del año 2013. Como resultado a este trabajo se identifica que en la cuenca del río Guayuriba hay un equilibrio entre el uso y la disponibilidad de agua verde, pero en el caso de agua azul se presenta un déficit para los meses secos que se encuentran entre diciembre, enero, febrero y marzo, ya que la demanda es mayor a la oferta hídrica, reflejando así que no existe un ordenamiento de la cuenca hidrográfica teniendo en cuenta la disponibilidad de agua con la que cuenta la fuente hídrica.

Abstract Water is one of the main resources used in agricultural activities whereby it is necessary to evaluate its use in the predominant crops of the Department of Meta considering the water supply and demand which will allow to make decisions regarding the land use planning. Due to this, the objective of this work is to evaluate the use of water in oil palm (Elaeis sp.) and upland rice (Oryza sativa) crops in the Guayuriba river basin using the water footprint indicator based on the productive parameters of the year 2013. As a result, this work identifies that there is a balance between the use and availability of green water in the Guayuriba river basin, but in the case of the blue water there is a deficit for the dry months of December, January, February and March, since the demand is greater than the water supply, reflecting that there is no river basin plan management that consider the availability of water that the basin counts on.

Resumo A água é um dos principais recursos que são usados nas atividades agrícolas e por isso é necessário avaliar o uso da água nas culturas de arroz no departamento do Meta o que permitirá tomar decisões frente ao planejamento do território, tendo em conta as ofertas e demandas hídricas. Devido a isso o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o uso da água nas culturas de óleo de palma (Elaeis sp.) e arroz de sequeiro (Oryza sativa), na bacia do rio Guayuriba, este trabalho se desenvolveu utilizando o indicador da pegada hídrica donde foi baseado nos parâmetros produtivos do ano 2013. Como resultado neste trabalho identifica-se que a bacia do rio Guayuriba há um equilíbrio entre o uso e a disponibilidade da água verde. Mas no caso da água azul se apresenta défice para os meses secos que se encontram em dezembro, janeiro, fevereiro e março, já que a demanda é maior do que a oferta hídrica, refletindo assim que não existe ordenamento da bacia hidrográfica tendo em conta a disponibilidade de água com a que conta a fonte hídrica.

GESTIÓN DEL AGUA EN COMUNIDADES RURALES; CASO DE ESTUDIO CUENCA DEL RÍO GUAYURIBA, META-COLOMBIA / WATER MANAGEMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES; CASE STUDY OF THE GUAYURIBA RIVER BASIN, META, COLOMBIA

La gestión de los recursos hídricos en las zonas rurales depende en gran medida de la participación de las comunidades en la administración y en el uso del recurso. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los sistemas de gestión del recurso hídrico en las comunidades rurales de la cuenca del río Guayuriba. Dentro del marco metodológico este estudio de caso se aborda en el marco de la investigación exploratoria. Entre los resultados que se destacan, se identificaron diferentes formas de abastecimiento y disposición de las aguas residuales domésticas de acuerdo con el tipo de asentamiento, sean de población dispersa o aglomerada, y asimismo, la debilidad de las instituciones locales para gestionar el agua en este tipo de comunidades. Finalmente, este estudio de caso se podrá utilizar como herramienta para la gestión integral del recurso hídrico en la cuenca del río Guayuriba.

The management of water resources in rural areas depends, to a large extent, on the participation of communities in the administration and use of the resources. This study aims to identify the water resource management systems in rural communities of the Guayuriba river basin. Within the theoretical framework this case study is addressed from the exploratory research structure. Among the most protruding results, different forms of supply and disposal of domestic sweage water were identified according to the type of settlement, whether they are dispersed or agglomerated, and also the weakness of local institutions to manage and administer water in this type of communities was evident. Finally, this case study can be used as a tool for the comprehensive management of water resources in the Guayuriba river basin.

Heavy metal accumulation related to population density in road dust samples taken from urban sites under different land uses.

Soil pollution is a key component of the land degradation process, but little is known about the impact of soil pollution on human health in the urban environment. The heavy metals Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd and Ni were analyzed by acid digestion (method EPA 3050B) and a total of 15 dust samples were collected from streets of three sectors of the city with different land uses; commercial, residential and a highway. The purpose was to measure the concentrations of heavy metals in road sediment samples taken from urban sites under different land uses, and to assess pollution through pollution indices, namely the ecological risk index and geoaccumulation index. Heavy metals concentrations (mg/kg) followed the following sequences for each sector: commercial sector Pb (1289.4)>Cu (490.2)>Zn (387.6)>Cr (60.2)>Ni (54.3); highway Zn (133.3)>Cu (126.3)>Pb (87.5)>Cr (9.4)>Ni (5.3); residential sector Zn (108.3)>Pb (26.0)>Cu (23.7)>Cr (7.3)>Ni (7.2). The geoaccumulation index indicated that the commercial sector was moderately to strongly polluted while the other sectors fell into the unpolluted category. Similarly, using the ecological risk index the commercial sector fell into the considerable category while the other sectors classified as low risk. Road dust increased along with city growth and its dynamics, additionally, road dust might cause a number of negative environmental impacts, therefore the monitoring this dust is crucial.

EVALUACIÓN DE METALES PESADOS ACUMULADOS EN POLVO VIAL EN TRES SECTORES DE LA CIUDAD DE VILLAVICENCIO, COLOMBIA / ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN ACCUMULATED ROAD DUST IN THREE SECTORS OF THE CITY OF VILLAVICENCIO, COLOMBIA

La dinámica urbana derivada del crecimiento de las ciudades y de la demanda de la población en términos de servicios de transporte, de producción de alimentos, de bienes y servicios en general, son algunos de los responsables de la generación de factores contaminantes, donde uno de ellos es la presencia de metales pesados por acumulación en el polvo vial. En este sentido, el presente estudio tiene como finalidad evaluar la contaminación por presencia de metales pesados (Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, y Cd) en el polvo de las vías de tres zonas de la ciudad de Villavicencio -Meta- (sector Anillo vial, sector Buque y sector Porvenir). Entre los resultados encontrados se tiene que la abundancia de metales por sector fue: sector Porvenir (SP), seguido del sector Anillo vial (SA) y sector Buque (SB). El estudio mostró que las concentraciones de metales pesados en el polvo vial están relacionadas con la dinámica de cada uno de ellos.

Urban dynamics derived from city growth and the population demands for transportation, food production, goods and services in general, are among the responsible on the generation of contaminating factors, where one of them is the presence of heavy metals in accumulated road dust. In this sense, the current study seeks to evaluate the pollution by presence of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Cd) in road dust from three sectors on Villavicencio -Meta- (sector Anillo vial sector, Buque sector and Porvenir sector). Among the obtained results, the metals abundance for each sector was as follows: Porvenir (SP), followed by sector Anillo vial (SA) and Buque (SB). The study showed that concentrations of heavy metals in road dust are related to the dynamics of each of these sectors.

Ecosistemas estratégicos y disponibilidad de hábitat de la avifauna del piedemonte llanero (Colombia), como posible peligro aviar / Strategic ecossttems and avifana habitat availability in the plains piedmont (Colombia) as possible avian danger

Dada la diversidad y oferta de áreas naturales o artificiales en el piedemonte Llanero y cuenca del Orinoco para la avifauna, se hace necesario llevar a cabo inspecciones y monitoreos de focos de concentración de aves como posible peligro para la aeronavegación. Para este propósito se tomó como referencia al municipio de Villavicencio (Meta, Colombia) estableciendo dos niveles diferentes de evaluación, incluyendo las áreas de aeropuertos y el Parque Ecológico Reciclante. En cada nivel identificado se realizaron visitas de inducción, ajuste de categorías de hábitats, caracterización de la cobertura y uso del suelo y la identificación de los ecosistemas estratégicos partiendo del concepto de servicios ambientales prestados, especialmente la oferta de hábitat. Las observaciones permitieron la categorización de hábitats de influencia de los niveles 1 y 2, en ecosistemas boscosos, pastizales, ecosistemas acuáticos, agroecosistemas y la presencia de infraestructura urbana y productiva, focos importantes para aves de importancia potencial en el peligro aviario.

Given the diversity and range of natural or artificial areas for avifauna in the Plains piedmont and the Orinoco river basin, it is necessary to carry out inspections and monitoring of concentration of bird outbreaks as a potential hazard to air navigation. For this purpose, the municipality of Villavicencio (Meta, Colombia) was made reference to establish two different levels of evaluation, including the areas of airports and the Reciclante Ecological Park. At each level identified induction visits, adjustment of habitat categories, coverage characterization and land use, and identification of strategic ecosystems based on the concept of environmental services, especially habitat supply were performed. The observations allowed the categorization of level 1 and 2, habitats influence in forest ecosystems, grasslands, aquatic ecosystems, agro ecosystems and the presence of urban and productive infrastructure, central focus for birds of potential importance in aviary hazard.

La huella hídrica como una estrategia de educación ambiental enfocada a la gestión del recurso hídrico: ejercicio con comunidades rurales de Villavicencio / The ater footpriint as an environmental education strategy focused on the management of water resources:: study conducted with rural communities from villavicencio

De acuerdo con Tréllez (2002), la educación ambiental comunitaria es un campo abierto al pensamiento y a la acción constructiva, en donde los resultados pueden convertirse gradualmente en propuestas creativas para un futuro diferente; de esta forma, la educación ambiental permite flexibilizar el pensamiento, crear escenarios y construir procesos orientadores para el cambio. Este estudio tiene el propósito de generar cambios en la percepción con respecto al consumo de agua indirecta en los hogares, por medio de la educación ambiental y a través de la metodología investigación-acción, con talleres participativos en donde se calculó la huella hídrica indirecta por consumo de alimentos. A partir de este cálculo, las comunidades mostraron un cambio sobre el consumo de agua, y de ahí generaron propuestas para mejorar su relación con el recurso. Esta estrategia de educación ambiental implementada a través de la huella hídrica, permitió generar el inicio de la apropiación por parte de las comunidades con respecto a la gestión del recurso hídrico, y generar en los líderes la responsabilidad de transmitir lo aprendido a los pobladores de su vereda.

According to Tréllez (2002), community-based environmental education is an open field to thought and to constructive action whose individual results can gradually become creative proposals for a different future; in this way, environmental education allows for the flexibility of thoughts, the creation of scenarios, and the development of processes oriented towards change. The purpose of this study is to produce a change in relation to the indirect consumption of water in homes, through environmental education, by means of Action research with participative workshops in which the indirect water footprint for food consumption was calculated. After this calculation, communities showed a noticeable change regarding their consumption of water, developing proposals to improve their relationship with this resource. This environmental education strategy, implemented through the water footprint, has allowed for the communities to begin to appropriate management of water resources and to develop responsibility in the leaders to communicate what has been learned to other members within their respective communities.

100 mujeres: un iniciativa de educación ambiental con perspectiva de género / 100women: an envvironmental education initiative with gender perspective

En la mayoría de países, las mujeres son discriminadas y no son tenidas en cuenta para llevar a cabo procesos y tomar decisiones en cualquier ámbito, incluidos los procesos ambientales, a pesar de ser las principales administradoras de los recursos ambientales desde las actividades domésticas y de otros múltiples roles que ellas juegan en el hogar. Debido a esto, el objetivo del trabajo fue disminuir la presión que ejercen las labores domésticas sobre el río Orotoy, mediante el fortalecimiento del papel de la mujer como eje social para el mejoramiento de la calidad y estilos de vida ambientalmente sanos. El trabajo se desarrolló utilizando diferentes técnicas de la investigación acción participativa como son las entrevistas, los grupos de encuentros o talleres (ambiental, producción, salud y social), y las encuestas. Como resultado se encontró que la mayoría de las asistentes al proyecto no conocían sus derechos como mujer, su impotancia en lo que respecta a lo ambiental y su importancia como administradoras de su hogar. Finalmente se logró un empoderamiento de la mujer como líder de su familia y de su comunidad con nuevos conocimientos sobre potabilización, producción de alimentos en el hogar y manejo de residuos sólidos que fomentan relaciones amigables con el medio ambiente.

In most countries, women are discriminated against and are not taken into account in carrying out processes and decisions in any sphere, including environmental processes, despite of being the main administrators of the environmental resources from the domestic activities among the other multiple roles that they play at home. Due to this, the main objective of this work was to diminish the pressure of domestic labors over the Orotoy River, through the strengthening of the role of women as a social hub for the improvement of quality and environmentally healthy lifestyles. This work was developed by using different participatory action research techniques such as interviews, group meetings or workshops (environmental, production, health and social), and surveys. As a result it was found that the majority of the project participants did not know their rights as a woman, their importance into the environmental debate and their role as home administrators. Finally it was accomplished a woman empowerment as a leader into their family and community, with a new knowledge about potabilization, food production at home and solid waste management that foster a more friendly relationship with the environment.