http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/4832 icta.uab.es/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:02:55 GMT 2012-02-11T14:02:55Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/bitstream/id/34032/ http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/4832 http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172946 Textural classification of land cover using support vector machines: an empirical comparison with parametric, non parametric and hybrid classifiers in the Bolivian Amazon Paneque-Gálvez, Jaime; Mas, Jean-François; Moré, Gerard; Cristóbal, Jordi; Orta-Martínez, Martí; Luz, Ana Catarina; Guèze, Maximiliem; Macía, Manuel; Reyes-García, Victoria Land cover classification is a key research field in remote sensing and land change science as thematic maps derived from remotely sensed data have become the basis for analyzing many socio-ecological issues. However, land cover classification remains a difficult task and it is especially challenging in heterogeneous tropical landscapes where nonetheless such maps are of great importance. The present study aims to establish an efficient classification approach to accurately map all broad land cover classes in a large, heterogeneous tropical area of Bolivia, as a basis for further studies (e.g., land cover-land use change). Specifically, we compare the performance of parametric (maximum likelihood), non-parametric (k-nearest neighbour and four different support vector machines - SVM), and hybrid classifiers, using both hard and soft (fuzzy) accuracy assessments. In addition, we test whether the inclusion of a textural index (homogeneity) in the classifications improves their performance. We classified Landsat imagery for two dates corresponding to dry and wet seasons and found that non-parametric, and particularly SVM classifiers, outperformed both parametric and hybrid classifiers. We also found that the use of the homogeneity index along with reflectance bands significantly increased the overall accuracy of all the classifications, but particularly of SVM algorithms. We observed that improvements in producer’s and user’s accuracies through the inclusion of the homogeneity index were different depending on land cover classes. Earlygrowth/degraded forests, pastures, grasslands and savanna were the classes most improved, especially with the SVM radial basis function and SVM sigmoid classifiers, though with both classifiers all land cover classes were mapped with producer’s and user’s accuracies of around 90%. Our approach seems very well suited to accurately map land cover in tropical regions, thus having the potential to contribute to conservation initiatives, climate change mitigation schemes such as REDD+, and rural development policies. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172946 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172087 Re-opening the black box in societal metabolism: the application of MuSIASEM to water Madrid, Cristina; Cabello, Violeta In this paper we address the complexity of the analysis of water use in relation to the issue of sustainability. In fact, the flows of water in our planet represent a complex reality which can be studied using many different perceptions and narratives referring to different scales and dimensions of analysis. For this reason, a quantitative analysis of water use has to be based on analytical methods that are semantically open: they must be able to define what we mean with the term “water” when crossing different scales of analysis. We propose here a definition of water as a resource that deal with the many services it provides to humans and ecosystems. WE argue that water can fulfil so many of them since the element has many characteristics that allow for the resource to be labelled with different attributes, depending on the end use –such as drinkable. Since the services for humans and the functions for ecosystems associated with water flows are defined on different scales but still interconnected it is necessary to organize our assessment of water use across different hierarchical levels. In order to do so we define how to approach the study of water use in the Societal Metabolism, by proposing the Water Metabolism, tganized in three levels: societal level, ecosystem level and global level. The possible end uses we distinguish for the society are: personal/physiological use, household use, economic use. Organizing the study of “water use” across all these levels increases the usefulness of the quantitative analysis and the possibilities of finding relevant and comparable results. To achieve this result, we adapted a method developed to deal with multi-level, multi-scale analysis - the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach - to the analysis of water metabolism. In this paper, we discuss the peculiar analytical identity that “water” shows within multi-scale metabolic studies: water represents a flow-element when considering the metabolism of social systems (at a small scale, when describing the water metabolism inside the society) and a fund-element when considering the metabolism o ecosystems (at a larger scale when describing the water metabolism outside the society). The theoretical analysis is illustrated using two case which characterize the metabolic patterns regarding water use of a productive system in Catalonia and a water management policy in Andarax River Basin in Andalusia. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172087 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172086 The global uranium rush and its Africa frontier. Lessons from Namibia Conde Puigmal, Marta; Kallis, Giorgos Uranium mines are the - often forgotten - source of nuclear power. The promotion of nuclear energy as a clean alternative and the projected increase of electricity demand in countries such as China and India, have led to a global “uranium rush”, unseen since the peak of the Cold War. This article studies the formation of the expanding nuclear frontier looking at the interaction between the global uranium metabolism, industrial dynamics and local ecologies of resistance using Namibia as a case-study. Namibia, the world´s fourth largest producer of uranium, stands at the frontier of this rush with sixty-six recently granted prospecting licenses that could turn into mines, compared to only three currently operating mines. We focus on three generic attributes that help to explain the emergence and intensity of resistance by local communities to uranium mining: the ecology and geography of the resource; the degree and type of political and economic marginalization of the community; and crucially, the connection and integration of local concerns with broader social movements and political demands. We show with the use of empirical material how these factors play out differently in five Namibian communities that have been, or stand to be, affected by uranium mining, and explain how local ecologies of resistance shape the global uranium rush. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/172086 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/169668 The problem of the competitiveness of nuclear energy: a biophysical explanation Diaz Maurin, François In this study I try to explain the systemic problem of the low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy for the production of electricity by carrying out a biophysical analysis of its production process. Given the fact that neither econometric approaches nor onedimensional methods of energy analyses are effective, I introduce the concept of biophysical explanation as a quantitative analysis capable of handling the inherent ambiguity associated with the concept of energy. In particular, the quantities of energy, considered as relevant for the assessment, can only be measured and aggregated after having agreed on a pre-analytical definition of a grammar characterizing a given set of finite transformations. Using this grammar it becomes possible to provide a biophysical explanation for the low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy in the production of electricity. When comparing the various unit operations of the process of production of electricity with nuclear energy to the analogous unit operations of the process of production of fossil energy, we see that the various phases of the process are the same. The only difference is related to characteristics of the process associated with the generation of heat which are completely different in the two systems. Since the cost of production of fossil energy provides the base line of economic competitiveness of electricity, the (lack of) economic competitiveness of the production of electricity from nuclear energy can be studied, by comparing the biophysical costs associated with the different unit operations taking place in nuclear and fossil power plants when generating process heat or net electricity. In particular, the analysis focuses on fossil-fuel requirements and labor requirements for those phases that both nuclear plants and fossil energy plants have in common: (i) mining; (ii) refining/enriching; (iii) generating heat/electricity; (iv) handling the pollution/radioactive wastes. By adopting this approach, it becomes possible to explain the systemic low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy in the production of electricity, because of: (i) its dependence on oil, limiting its possible role as a carbon-free alternative; (ii) the choices made in relation to its fuel cycle, especially whether it includes reprocessing operations or not; (iii) the unavoidable uncertainty in the definition of the characteristics of its process; (iv) its large inertia (lack of flexibility) due to issues of time scale; and (v) its low power level. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/169668 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/148470 Imágenes en infrarrojo cercano de baja altura sobre zonas de interés del PN-MaB Montseny: planificación de campañas de vuelo, procesamiento de imágenes y evaluación: informe ejecutivo Lobo Aleu, Agustín La tecnología civil de pequeños vehículos aéreos no tripulados (miniUAV) puede representar una alternativa de bajo coste para fotografía digital al alcance de los presupuestos normales en aplicaciones de Conservación. Si la calidad y operatividad son suficientes, estos sistemas pueden ser una herramienta importante para adquirir información de alta resolución con la que apoyar la planificación y gestión de espacios protegidos. En este proyecto se han planificado 13 campañas en 7 sitios del Parque Natural del Montseny para el miniUAV ATMOS-4 de CATUAV, se han procesado las imágenes y se ha evaluado tanto la operatividad y calidad de los vuelos como de las imágenes adquiridas.; Nota: Informe ejecutivo del programa A7 del proyecto "Recopilación, integración y análisis de información para el alaboración del Plan de Conservación del PN-MaB Montseny" Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/148470 2010-04-15T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97518 Informe de seguiment de l'estat socioecològic de la conca de la Tordera: memòria 2009 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97518 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97517 Informe de seguiment de l'estat socioecològic de la conca de la Tordera: memòria 2006-2008 Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97517 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97516 Informe de seguiment de l'estat socioecològic: memòria 2003-2005 Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97516 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97513 L'Observatori: estació de seguiment de la biodiversitat de la conca de la Tordera: memòria 2001-2003 Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97513 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97512 L'Observatori: estació de seguiment de la biodiversitat de la conca de la Tordera: memòria 1999 Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97512 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97491 Les communautés bulu contre la plantation industrielle HEVECAM au Cameroun Gerber, Julien-François In 1975 the Kribi region (Southern Cameroon) became host of the rubber plantation HEVECAM, the third largest employer in Cameroon. The establishment of the plantation has been preceded by the expropriation of customary land and by the destruction of the rainforest used by local populations. As a result, conflicts – mostly latent – pitting neighbouring Bulu communities against the plantation have occurred, especially during the last few years. Drawing on fieldwork data as well as on anthropological, economic and historical materials, I try to explore a new way of looking at such environmental conflicts by arguing that they reflect the struggle between two distinct institutional logics with different impacts on the environment, i.e. the logic of property versus the one of possession. In short, the logic of possession corresponds to a multi-functional community-based forest management, while the logic of property gave birth to the commercial monoculture model, the highest stage of the transformation of an ecosystem in order to match the requirements of property. It is argued that the conflict between the logic of possession and the logic of property is at the heart of many cases of “environmentalisms of the poor” that arise in reaction to “development”.; En 1975, la región de Kribi (Sur de Camerún) acogió la plantación de caucho HEVECAM, el tercer empleador más grande del país. La fundación de la plantación ha sido precedida por la expropiación de tierras tradicionales y por la destrucción del bosque pluvial utilizado por las poblaciones locales. Como consecuencia, se han generado conflictos – sobre todo latentes – que enfrentan comunidades Bulu vecinas y la plantación, especialmente durante los últimos años. Recurriendo a un trabajo de campo además de materiales antropológicos, económicos e históricos, intento explorar una nueva manera de concebir este tipo de conflictos ambientales y argumento que éstos reflejan la lucha entre dos lógicas institucionales distintas, con impactos diferentes sobre el medio ambiente, es decir la lógica de la propiedad contra la de la posesión. Resumiendo, la lógica de la posesión corresponde a una gestión del bosque comunitaria y multi-funcional, mientras la lógica de la propiedad suscitó el modelo de las monoculturas comerciales, que representan la etapa más alta en la transformación de un ecosistema para ajustarse a los requisitos de la propiedad. Arguyo que el conflicto entre estas dos lógicas es un factor clave en muchos casos de “ecologismo de los pobres” que surgen como reacción al “desarrollo”. Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97491 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97478 El canal Segarra-Garrigues y la (de)construcción de los problemas del agua: un estudio centrado en el papel del experto, los procesos decisionales y la generación participativa del conocimiento Muñiz San Martín, Sigrid Este trabajo de investigación se centra en la problemática hídrica y, concretamente, en el enfoque con el que, actualmente, se describen y se tratan estos problemas. Así, se analiza el modelo estructuralista hidráulico como una de estas fuentes de interpretación y proposición. Pero, también, se estudia cómo ha contribuido la labor científica que realizan en este contexto los expertos sobrre aguas -principalmente, ingenieros y técnicos- a establecer el "framing" predominante. Con la preocupación de estar tratando con un recurso vital que ante una distribución y gestión hídricas deficientes o inapropiadas genera problemas prácticos de urgente resolución, se empieza a cuestionar, como hacen las nuevas concepciones como la gestión integrada de cuencas hidrográficas o la Nueva Cultura del Agua, el modo actual de enmarcar el problema. En este sentido, se adopta como objetivo tratar de reverter la dinámica de crecimiento de la demanda y encontrar fórmulas no centralizadas de gestión, que no requieran un conocimiento completo del sistema hidrológico y de gestión, que no detenten visiones fragmentadas de la situación hídrica y que no mantengan un "framing" estático y determinista. Y, para ello, se toma como inicio, lo que sucede en los conflictos en torno al agua. Así, se considera la tensión que existe entre "nuevos" y "viejos" paradigmas no sólo una discusión académico-teórica, sino, también una cuestión de gobernabilidad hídrica. De este modo, se presenta como una oportunidad para el cambio tanto la situación compleja e incierta que caracteriza y envuelve la gestión del agua como la diversidad de "miradas" al problema (y de soluciones) que existen en la contingencia social. Además, se contemplan, como sugerencias de innovación conceptual y procedural, los mecanismos de interacción, comunicación y presión que surgen en estos contextos. Se aborda el caso del canal de riego del Segarra-Garrigues en Lleida, precisamente, para indagar en todos estos aspectos, como un ejemplo de este encuentro entre nuevas realidades y anacrónicas incercias y de la inquietud de algunos actores por redefinir el "framing" hegemónico. Para ello, se da especial importancia a los procesos de toma de decisiones y de generación del conocimiento, prestando atención a cómo condicionan, en los problemas y en la búsqueda de soluciones, la filosofía e ideología científica y política empleadas en el marco del agua. De este análisis se desprenden algunas opciones para experimental en etapas venideras de la investigación. En este documento, entonces, se discute sobre qué otros modes de investigar-decidir-actuar podrían darse, pero también, se describe qué se ha hecho, hasta el momento, al respecto. En este sentido, aparecen cuestiones como la redeficinión del rol del experto-investigador, la práctica participativa en la generación del conocimiento, la sinergia entre las motivaciones científico-teóricas con las preocupaciones locales y la integración entre el estudio y los procesos de (auto)organizativos que se dan en el conflicto. Y, en definitiva, se hacen patentes muchos de los retos que enfrentan hoy en día la gestión y placificación hidrológicas. Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97478 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97405 Italy's urban waste metabolism D'Alisa, Giacomo; Di Nola, Maria Federica The problem of waste management is causing growing concern due to increasing generation rates, the emissions into soil, water and air, the social conflicts derived from the election of disposal sites and the loss of resources and energy among others. In this work, an innovative methodology is used to enable a better understanding of the waste generation and management system in Italy. Two new waste indicators are built to complement the conventional indicators used by official statistics. Then a multi-scale analysis of the Density of Waste Disposed (DWD) is carried out to highlight the territorial diversity of waste performances and test its contribution to detect plausible risky areas. Starting from Italian regions, the scale down goes on to the provincial level and, only for the region of Campania, the municipal one. First, the analysis shows that the DWD is able to complement the information provided by the conventional waste indicators. Second, the analysis shows the limitations of using a unique institutional solution to waste management problems. In this sense the multi-scale analysis provides with a more realistic picture of Italian waste system than using a single scale. Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97405 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97212 Descripción del litoral catalán y balear según indicadores socio-económicos y ambientales Jiménez Serranía, Virginia Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97212 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97187 Variability of atmospheric particulate matter at an urban and a regional background in NE Iberian Peninsula Pérez Lozano, Noemí Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97187 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97186 Proposta de planificació del mosaic agroforestal del Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac: una priorització dels espais oberts agraris a partir d'una integració SIG-AMC (Sistemes d'Informació Geogràfica - Avaluació Multicriteri) Baró Porras, Francesc Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/97186 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/96595 Effects of increased drought and selective thinning on growth and resprouting of two coexisting Mediterranean oaks with contrasting leaf habit (Quercus ilex and Quercus cerrioides) Cotillas de la Torre, Miriam According to the IPCC (2007), the Mediterranean basin is expected to suffer important changes in temperature and precipitation in the next few decades, leading the climate warmer and dryer. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the possible effects of increased drought on species with different structural and physiological traits, to be able to predict possible changes in the structure and composition of Mediterranean forests. Moreover, it will be necessary to assess whether traditional management practices can mitigate the effects of climate change on these forests. The main aim of this study has been to analyze the effects of increased drought on the mortality, growth and resprouting patterns of two co-occurring Mediterranean oak species with contrasting leaf habit (the evergreen Quercus ilex and the winter-deciduous Quercus cerrioides), and to assess the effects of selective thinning on their response to increased drought. Our results show a differential effect of increased drought between species: no differences were observed in the growth of Q. ilex while Q. cerrioides reduced its growth under increased drought conditions. Selective thinning reduced the negative effects of increased drought on tree growth, although this beneficial effect tended to decrease during the experiment. Our results show that increasing aridity in Mediterranean areas can be a constraining factor for deciduous oaks, thus potentially causing their decline in mixed forests and favouring their substitution by the evergreen congeneric species. However, as seen in this study, management can strongly encourage growth both for deciduous and evergreen species, thus reversing the effects of increased water stress on Mediterranean coppices. Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/96595 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/96137 Integrated assessment of agricultural sustainability: the pros and cons of reductionism Giampietro, Mario In this paper I review a series of theoretical concepts that are relevant for the integrated assessment of agricultural sustainability but that are not generally included in the curriculum of the various scientific disciplines dealing with quantitative analysis of agriculture. I first illustrate with plain narratives and concrete examples that sustainability is an extremely complex issue requiring the simultaneous consideration of several aspects, which cannot be reduced into a single indicator of performance. Following, I justify this obvious need for multi-criteria analysis with theoretical concepts dealing with the epistemological predicament of complexity, starting from classic philosophical lessons to arrive to recent developments in complex system theory, in particular Rosen´s theory of modelling relation which is essential to analyze the quality of any quantitative representation. The implications of these theoretical concepts are then illustrated with applications of multi-criteria analysis to the sustainability of agriculture. I wrap up by pointing out the crucial difference between "integrated assessment" and "integrated analysis". An integrated analysis is a set of indicators and analytical models generating an analytical output. An integrated assessment is much more than that. It is about finding an effective way to deal with three key issues: (i) legitimacy – how to handle the unavoidable existence of legitimate but contrasting points of view about different meanings given by social actors to the word "development"; (ii) pertinence – how to handle in a coherent way scientific analyses referring to different scales and dimensions; and (iii) credibility – how to handle the unavoidable existence of uncertainty and genuine ignorance, when dealing with the analysis of future scenarios. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/96137 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/83514 Soporte geoespacial para modelos de distribución de especies (I): generalización del mapa de vegetación del Montseny apoyada en información de imágenes de satélite Lobo Aleu, Agustín; Camino, Carlos Los mapas de vegetación son a menudo utilizados como proxis de una estratificación de hábitats para generar distribuciones geográficas contínuas de organismos a partir de datos discretos mediante modelos multi-variantes. Sin embargo, los mapas de vegetación suelen ser poco apropiados para ser directamente aplicados a este fin, pues sus categorías no se concibieron con la intención de corresponder a tipos de hábitat. En este artículo presentamos y aplicamos el método de Agrupamiento por Doble Criterio para generalizar un mapa de vegetación extraordinariamente detallado (350 clases) del Parque Natural del Montseny (Cataluña) en categorías que mantienen la coherencia tanto desde el punto de vista estructural (a través de una matriz de disimilaridad espectral calculada mediante una imágen del satélite SPOT-5) como en términos de vegetación (gracias a una matriz de disimilaridad calculada mediante propiedades de vegetación deducidas de la leyenda jerárquica del mapa). El método simplifica de 114 a 18 clases el 67% del área de estudio. Añadiendo otras agregaciones más triviales basadas exclusivamente en criterios de cubierta de suelo, el 73% del área de estudio pasa de 167 a 25 categorías. Como valor añadido, el método identifica el 10% de los polígonos originales como anómalos (a partir de comparar las propiedades espectrales de cada polígono con el resto de los de su clases), lo que implica cambios en la cubierta entre las fechas del soporte utilizado para generar el mapa original y la imagen de satélite, o errores en la producción de éste.; Vegetation maps are used as proxies of habitat stratification for generating continuous geographic distributions of fauna from discrete observations through multi-variate models. Nevertheless, direct use of vegetation maps for such application is far from optimum as the featured vegetation categories were not conceived to match different habitats. In this article, we present and apply the method Double Criteria Agglomerative Clustering to generalize a very detailed and complex vegetation map (350 classes) of the Montseny Natural Park (Catalonia, NE Spain) into categories that keep coherence both from a physiognomic point of view (thanks to the use of a dissimilarity matrix calculated with the spectral properties of an image from the SPOT-5 satellite), and from a vegetation point of view (thanks to a second dissimilarity matrix calculated through vegetation properties as defined by the hierarchical legend). After applying this method, we reduce the number of classes from 114 to 18 for the 67% of the area of study. Adding a number of trivial aggregations based on the vegetation properties only, 73% of the study area is simplified from 167 to 25 classes. As a side effect, the method identifies 10% of the polygons as outliers in terms of the image properties of each class, which implies either land cover change between the dates of the spatial support used for generating the original map and that of the satellite image, or errors in the production of the original map.; Nota al document: Informe del programa E4 "Análisis de la cubierta vegetal en el Parque Natural y Reserva de la Biosfera del Montseny: soporte geoespacial para la modelización de la distribución de especies y control remoto de la fenología", del proyecto "Recopilación, integración y análisis de información para la elaboración del Plan de Conservación del PN-MAB Montseny". Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/83514 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/81877 Autobiografía de un conflicto ambiental D'Alisa, Giacomo El presente trabajo como autobiografía de un conflicto propone un posible método para representar las cualidades relevantes sobre la experiencia vivida como activista en una coordinadora contra la privatización del sistema hídrico integrado en Nápoles, Caserta y sus provincias. Esta contribución, alberga la esperanza de poner en práctica un proceso organizado de reflexión a través del cual es posible producir información útil para compartir experiencias. El conflicto sobre la gestión pública del agua surge de la oposición de un grupo de sujetos sociales al esquema político de privatización del sistema de agua potable en la región Campania en el sur de Italia. La movilización social se enmarca en el movimiento más amplio llamado ecologismo popular. Su reclamación, la de un reconocimiento del agua como bien común, está unida a aquel ecologismo mundial que nace de las necesidades materiales de la vida. En esta clase de conflictos ambientales los acontecimientos son inciertos, los valores están en disputa, los intereses son elevados, y las decisiones son urgentes. Lo anterior es el objeto de estudio de la ciencia posnormal. El enfoque sistémico del presente trabajo se desarrolla a través de una identificación de las diferentes escalas de gobierno y de las decisiones asumidas por los diferentes actores mediante la descripción de la dinámica interna y externa del actor principal del conflicto: la Coordinadora de los Comités para el Agua Pública en Nápoles, Caserta y sus provincias. La autobiografía concluye subrayando el carácter problemático de la reproducción de la comunidad estética dentro de las movilizaciones e identificando lo que entiendo como la demanda política más interesante de la Coordinadora: la necesidad de construir un “experto comité”, más que un “comité de expertos”. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/81877 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/81875 Una explicación del conflicto social sobre energía eólica en la comarca de la Terra Alta en Cataluña Zografos, Christos El estudio investiga las razones que explican un conflicto sobre la instalación de parques eólicos en Terra Alta, una comarca rural de Cataluña. Identificamos tres razones principales. Primero, y de acuerdo con el marco conceptual de ecología política, el conflicto eólico forma parte de un conflicto más generalizado sobre la ‘macro-concentración’ de instalaciones energéticas en el sur de Cataluña que generan energía y beneficios económicos principalmente para el centro del desarrollo económico catalán. Segundo, el impacto paisajístico de los proyectos eólicos choca con iniciativas locales que impulsan el paisaje como un activo valioso capaz de sustentar la vida en la comarca. Por último, desequilibrios de poder en el sistema formal de toma de decisiones sobre parques eólicos impiden la inclusión de valores locales como criterios en el proceso de toma de decisiones y eso también genera conflicto. Para un desarrollo sostenible de energía eólica, la importancia del potencial eólico como criterio principal de localización debe ser reevaluada, y la negociación de la distribución de beneficios debe hacerse en la forma más abierta posible.; The study explores reasons behind a confict on the installation of wind farms in Terra Alta, a rural county in Catalonia. Our study identifies three main causes of conflict. First, and in accordance to the coceptual framework of political ecology, the conflict forms part of a more generalised conflict regarding the ‘macro-concentration’ of energy-generating plants in the south of Catalonia, which produce economic benefits for Catalonia’s centre (e.g. Barcelona). Secondly, the landscape impact of wind farm projects clashes with local initiatives that seek to promote landscape as a valuable asset capable of sustaining life in Terra Alta. Finally, power imbalances in the wind energy planning and decision-making system block the inclusion of locally-important values as decision-making criteria and this also generates conflict. For a sustainable development of wind energy, the importance of wind capacity as a principal criterion for deciding wind farm location should be re-considered and the negotiation of benefits’ distribution from wind farms should be conducted in the most open and tranparent possible ways. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/81875 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/62870 Linkages of dietary patterns, international trade and land use: the case of olive oil in the European Union Scheidel, Arnim Within only two decades olive oil developed from a niche product which could hardly be found in food stores outside the producing regions towards an integrated component in the diets of industrial countries. This paper discusses the impacts of the promotion of the “healthy Mediterranean diet” on land use and agro-ecosystems in the producing countries. It examines the dynamics of olive oil production, trade and consumption in the EU15 in the period 1972 to 2003 and the links between dietary patterns, trade and land use. It analyses the underlying socio-economic driving forces behind the increasing spatial disconnect between production and consumption of olive oil in the EU15 and in particular in Spain, the world largest producer during the last three decades. In the observed period olive oil consumption increased 16 fold in the non-producing EU15 countries. In the geographically limited producing regions like Spain, the 5 fold increase in export production was associated with the rapid industrialization of olive production, the conversion of vast Mediterranean landscapes to olive monocultures and a range of environmental pressures. High amounts of subsidies of the European Common Agricultural Policy and feedback loops within production and consumption systems were driving the transformation of the olive oil system. Our analysis indicates the process of change was not immediately driven by increases in demand for olive oil in non-producing countries, but rather by the institutional setting of the European Union and by concerted political interventions. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/62870 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/62869 Deliberative ecological economics: emergence and research issues Zografos, Christos; Howarth, Richard B. We discuss the recent emergence of "deliberative ecological economics", a field that highlights the potential of deliberation for improving environmental governance. We locate the emergence of this literature in the long concern in ecological economics over the policy implications of limited views of human action and its encounter with deliberative democracy scholarship and the model of communicative rationality as an alternative to utilitarianism. Considering criticisms over methods used and the focus of research in deliberative decision-making, we put forward a research agenda for deliberative ecological economics. Given the promising potential of deliberative processes for improving the effectiveness and legitimacy of environmental decision-making, work in this area could help advance both theory and practice in environmental governance. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/62869 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/48073 The political ecology of Jatropha plantations for biodiesel in Tamil Nadu, India Ariza Montobbio, Pere; Lele, Sharachchandra; Kallis, Giorgos; Martínez Alier, Joan Jatropha curcas is promoted internationally for its presumed agronomic viability in marginal lands, economic returns for small farmers, and lack of competition with food crops. However, empirical results from a study in southern India revealed that Jatropha cultivation, even on agricultural lands, is neither profitable, nor pro-poor. We use a political ecology framework to analyze both the discourse promoting Jatropha cultivation and its empirical consequences. We deconstruct the shaky premises of the dominant discourse of Jatropha as a “pro-poor” and “pro-wasteland” development crop, a discourse that paints a win-win picture between poverty alleviation, natural resource regeneration, and energy security goals. We then draw from field-work on Jatropha plantations in the state of Tamil Nadu to show how Jatropha cultivation favors resource-rich farmers, while possibly reinforcing existing processes of marginalization of small and marginal farmers. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/48073 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/47934 Assessing the quality of alternative energy sources: Energy Return On the Investment (EROI), the metabolic pattern of societies and energy statistics Giampietro, Mario; Mayumi, Kozo; Sorman Hadiye, Alevgul This paper presents an initial challenge to tackle the every so "tricky" points encountered when dealing with energy accounting, and thereafter illustrates how such a system of accounting can be used when assessing for the metabolic changes in societies. The paper is divided in four main sections. The first three, present a general discussion on the main issues encountered when conducting energy analyses. The last section, subsequently, combines this heuristic approach to the actual formalization of it, in quantitative terms, for the analysis of possible energy scenarios. Section one covers the broader issue of how to account for the relevant categories used when accounting for Joules of energy; emphasizing on the clear distinction between Primary Energy Sources (PES) (which are the physical exploited entities that are used to derive useable energy forms (energy carriers)) and Energy Carriers (EC) (the actual useful energy that is transmitted for the appropriate end uses within a society). Section two sheds light on the concept of Energy Return on Investment (EROI). Here, it is emphasized that, there must already be a certain amount of energy carriers available to be able to extract/exploit Primary Energy Sources to thereafter generate a net supply of energy carriers. It is pointed out that this current trend of intense energy supply has only been possible to the great use and dependence on fossil energy. Section three follows up on the discussion of EROI, indicating that a single numeric indicator such as an output/input ratio is not sufficient in assessing for the performance of energetic systems. Rather an integrated approach that incorporates (i) how big the net supply of Joules of EC can be, given an amount of extracted PES (the external constraints); (ii) how much EC needs to be invested to extract an amount of PES; and (iii) the power level that it takes for both processes to succeed, is underlined. Section four, ultimately, puts the theoretical concepts at play, assessing for how the metabolic performances of societies can be accounted for within this analytical framework. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/47934 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/41074 Water scarcity, social power and the production of an elite suburb: the political ecology of water in Matadepera, Catalonia Otero i Armengol, Iago; Kallis, Giorgos; Aguilar Cestero, Raul; Ruiz Gómez, Vicenç This article investigates the history of land and water transformations in Matadepera, a wealthy suburb of metropolitan Barcelona. Analysis is informed by theories of political ecology and methods of environmental history; although very relevant, these have received relatively little attention within ecological economics. Empirical material includes communications from the City Archives of Matadepera (1919-1979), 17 interviews with locals born between 1913 and 1958, and an exhaustive review of grey historical literature. Existing water histories of Barcelona and its outskirts portray a battle against natural water scarcity, hard won by heroic engineers and politicians acting for the good of the community. Our research in Matadepera tells a very different story. We reveal the production of a highly uneven landscape and waterscape through fierce political and power struggles. The evolution of Matadepera from a small rural village to an elite suburb was anything but spontaneous or peaceful. It was a socio-environmental project well intended by landowning elites and heavily fought by others. The struggle for the control of water went hand in hand with the land and political struggles that culminated – and were violently resolved - in the Spanish Civil War. The displacement of the economic and environmental costs of water use from few to many continues to this day and is constitutive of Matadepera’s uneven and unsustainable landscape. By unravelling the relations of power that are inscribed in the urbanization of nature (Swyngedouw, 2004), we question the perceived wisdoms of contemporary water policy debates, particularly the notion of a natural scarcity that merits a technical or economic response. We argue that the water question is fundamentally a political question of environmental justice; it is about negotiating alternative visions of the future and deciding whose visions will be produced. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/41074 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40714 Testing low-altitude infrared digital photography from a mini-UAV to retrieve information for biological conservation Lobo Aleu, Agustín Satellite remote sensing imagery is used for forestry, conservation and environmental applications, but insufficient spatial resolution, and, in particular, unavailability of images at the precise timing required for a given application, often prevent achieving a fully operational stage. Airborne remote sensing has the advantage of custom-tuned sensors, resolution and timing, but its price prevents using it as a routine technique for the mentioned fields. Some Unmanned Aerial Vehicles might provide a “third way” solution as low-cost techniques for acquiring remotely sensed information, under close control of the end-user, albeit at the expense of lower quality instrumentation and instability. This report evaluates a light remote sensing system based on a remotely-controlled mini-UAV (ATMOS-3) equipped with a color infra-red camera (VEGCAM-1) designed and operated by CATUAV. We conducted a testing mission over a Mediterranean landscape dominated by an evergreen woodland of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and (Holm) oak (Quercus ilex) in the Montseny National Park (Catalonia, NE Spain). We took advantage of state-of-the-art ortho-rectified digital aerial imagery (acquired by the Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya over the area during the previous year) and used it as quality reference. In particular, we paid attention to: 1) Operationality of flight and image acquisition according to a previously defined plan; 2) Radiometric and geometric quality of the images; and 3) Operational use of the images in the context of applications. We conclude that the system has achieved an operational stage regarding flight activities, although with meteorological limits set by wind speed and turbulence. Appropriate landing areas can be sometimes limiting also, but the system is able to land on small and relatively rough terrains such as patches of grassland or short matorral, and we have operated the UAV as far as 7 km from the control unit. Radiometric quality is sufficient for interactive analysis, but probably insufficient for automated processing. A forthcoming camera is supposed to greatly improve radiometric quality and consistency. Conventional GPS positioning through time synchronization provides coarse orientation of the images, with no roll information.; Nota: Informe relacionat amb el titulat "Adquisició d’imatges en infraroig proper de baixa alçària sobre zones d’interès al Montseny (I)", del mateix autor. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40714 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40713 Adquisició d'imatges en infraroig proper de baixa alçària sobre zones d'interès al Montseny (I) Lobo Aleu, Agustín En aquest informe, fem una primera avaluació d'un sistema basat en un mini-UAV, operat per l'empresa CATUAV (www.catuav.com), sobre una zona a l'est del Parc Natural del Montseny (PNM) tot comparant amb imatges adquirides l'any anterior sobre la mateixa zona, amb sistemes i plataformes aèries de primer nivell per l'Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya i que utilitzem com a referent de qualitat. Tot assumint que les imatges produïdes pels UAV són d'una qualitat inferior als sistemes convencionals de teledetecció aerotransportada, si la qualitat i operativitat són encara suficients, aquests sistemes, donat el seu cost, poden constituir una eina important per adquirir informació d'alta resolució pel control de l'evolució de camps abandonats, de l'estat de la vegetació de ribera, de l'estat fitosanitari de cobertes forestals i plagues, de la distribució d'espècies invasores, de les conseqüències d'actuacions de restauració o aclariment del bosc, de l'impacte dels visitants etc. En concret, en aquest informe avaluem el sistema de CATUAV pel que fa a: 1) Operativitat del vol i adquisició de les imatges sobre una zona prèviament assenyalada com objectiu; 2) Operativitat del producte en quant a la localització i orientació de les imatges sobre el terreny; i 3) Qualitat radiomètrica i geomètrica de les imatges.; Nota: Informe relacionat amb el títulat "Testing low-altitude infrared digital photography from a mini-UAV to retrieve information for biological conservation", del mateix autor. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40713 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40712 Selecció d'espais oberts a recuperar i propostes d'ús: una aproximació per anàlisi espacial i multicriteri Lobo Aleu, Agustín; Vega García, Cristina; Baró Porras, Francesc Dins de matrius eminentment forestals, els espais oberts agrícoles juguen un paper important diversificant els hàbitats i, de retruc, donant cabuda a l’ecosistema a un nombre d’espècies que d’ells depenen en tots o en alguns moments del seu cicle biològic. La pèrdua d’espais agrícoles tradicionals va més enllà de la pèrdua de varietats agrícoles i ramaderes i de flora arvense associada, i afecta també a molts d’altres organismes. A més de la seva importància directa en la biodiversitat, els espais oberts agrícoles també representen un trencament de la continuïtat del combustible i requereixen el manteniment de vies d’accés, tot coadjuvant a mantenir un paisatge amb un menor risc d’incendi. La zona d’estudi ha estat els Parcs Naturals de Sant Llorenç de Munt i L’Obac, i Garraf, Olèrdola i Foix. Hem considerat de forma simplificada el paisatge dels Parcs com a mosaics amb diferents fases (arbrat dens, arbustiu dens, espais oberts, roquissars i petites zones urbanes) i pressuposa que l’objectiu de la gestió dels Parcs és la conservació d’aquests mosaics i no la seva uniformització en paisatges forestals continus. Hem localitzat e inventariat els espais oberts agrícoles actius i abandonats (recentment i des de 1957) de la zona com a capes SIG, tot associant a cada espai el conjunt de característiques necessàries per la seva gestió i organitzant-los en una Base de Dades lligada a les capes SIG. Un cop fet això, i per tal d’ordenar les actuacions de recuperació, hem establert un sistema de priorització dels espais candidats a través d’anàlisi multi-criteri. En aquesta priorització, ha jugat un paper destacat l’impacte de l’eventual recuperació de cada espai en la geometria del mosaic, la qual cosa ha requerit anàlisi i simulació espacial. Finalment, hem elaborat un conjunt de projectes d’actuació en certs espais concrets per a que serveixin com a models d’actuació. Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40712 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40697 A first attempt of geographically-distributed Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): mapping human time and energy throughput in metropolitan Barcelona Lobo Aleu, Agustín; Baeza, Miguel Ángel This study presents a first attempt to extend the “Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM)” approach to a spatial dimension using GIS techniques in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona. We use a combination of census and commercial databases along with a detailed land cover map to create a layer of Common Geographic Units that we populate with the local values of human time spent in different activities according to MuSIASEM hierarchical typology. In this way, we mapped the hours of available human time, in regards to the working hours spent in different locations, putting in evidence the gradients in spatial density between the residential location of workers (generating the work supply) and the places where the working hours are actually taking place. We found a strong three-modal pattern of clumps of areas with different combinations of values of time spent on household activities and on paid work. We also measured and mapped spatial segregation between these two activities and put forward the conjecture that this segregation increases with higher energy throughput, as the size of the functional units must be able to cope with the flow of exosomatic energy. Finally, we discuss the effectiveness of the approach by comparing our geographic representation of exosomatic throughput to the one issued from conventional methods. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.recercat.cat:80/handle/2072/40697 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z