Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

[Introduction]: Highland Andean wetlands are key for maintaining the ecosystem service of water regulation, essential in the fluvial dynamics of watersheds. [Objective]: To evaluate the influence of climate variability in tropical highland headwater swamps of the Miguaguó watershed in Venezuela. [Methodology]: A time series of 46 years was defined, which was climatologically typified from the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). Fifteen climatologically different sample years with availability of LANDSAT images were selected to evaluate the spectral behavior of the vegetation of the swamps through the Moisture Stress Index (MSI). The MSI values ​​were statistically compared with the ONI and with local climatic indicators, and the percentage deviations of the anomalies with respect to a standard year were estimated. [Results]: The results showed that the hydrological dynamics of wetlands is influenced by the combination of ENSO (El Niño/La Niña) anomalies and neutral years, although the impact seems to be differential, depending on the location of the swamps in the landscape, the local biophysical conditions of the environment, and the sequential precession and intensity of the anomalies. On the other hand, the dominant trend of deviation was that of hydric recovery that occurred during La Niña events and in neutral years, where wetlands are more sensitive to the anomalies of the cold phase of ENSO and show a high hydrological resilience. [Conclusions]: Although the results were clear and conclusive, they have a limited spatial and temporal scope; because the studied processes are extremely complex, additional research is required to complement the objective understanding of the climatic and atmospheric relationships of the hydrological processes in tropical highlands.

Abstract [Introduction]: The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest feline in the Americas, and due to vast connected forests the Amazon currently holds the largest jaguar populations. [Objective]: We present jaguar population density estimates for seven sites in the Great Madidi-Tambopata Landscape in northwestern Bolivia and southeastern Peru. [Methodology]: Data collection occurred from 2001 to 2008, using between 26 to 118 camera trap stations distributed in polygons between 37 to 355 km2 of sampled area, active from 29 to 75 days at each study site. [Results]: We identified a total of 63 individuals across all sampling sites. The estimated capture rate for each sampling site ranged from 0.18 to 2.81 independent events/100 trap nights. Jaguar density estimates with SCR models ranged from of 0.1 to 2.39 individuals/100 km2, and derived CAPTURE (MMDM) population density estimates using a regional buffer (5.76 km, n = 19), were between 0.52 and 2.86 individuals/100 km2. [Conclusions]: These results are especially relevant for the development of conservation strategies and evaluations for this threatened species, and also underline the importance of the transboundary Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape as a population stronghold for jaguars in the region.

[Introduction] Sustainable development is still a difficult concept to articulate in the pedagogical practice of teachers. [Objective] Integrate the concept of sustainable development in the curriculum at the Escuela Normal Superior Santa Ana by the teaching group of natural sciences and environmental education through the space-context strategy. [Methodology] The critical-reflexive paradigm was assumed with a qualitative methodological approach, and action research as a methodological design, where the products of the teaching work were inputs for the evaluation of the intervention. The data collection techniques were the interviews, the documentary review specifically of the Institutional Educational Project, the School Environmental Project and the curricular proposal of the science area and as an instrument a questionnaire validated by 5 experts. The interpretation and analysis of the data were carried out through a triple entry table in the light of the referents and the theories. [Results] The concept of sustainable development was strengthened in the teaching group, subsequently, a proposal was developed aimed at making adjustments to the plan of the area of natural sciences and environmental education, and incorporating the Place Base Education approach into the curricula, the competences and the goals of sustainable development. [Conclusions] The intervention proposal managed to raise awareness among the teaching staff of redesigning the curriculum in order to assertively articulate the concept of sustainable development.

The Manual of Plants of Costa Rica has been perhaps the most important work in the field of natural sciences published in Costa Rica in recent decades.  This project, which started in the mid-80s of the previous century and concluded with its eighth volume at the end of 2020, had as its main objective to catalog the plants of Costa Rica, for which it was nourished by a rich history and an intense botanical exploration that was born several centuries ago.  Two Costa Rican institutions, the National Museum of Costa Rica and the National Institute of Biodiversity, opened their doors to the Missouri Botanical Garden so that together they could consolidate and finally conclude this work so valuable for the country, for Costa Ricans and for all of Tropical America. It describes the more than 9 000 species of seed plants in 237 families that occur in the country, although today there are more than 11 000 species if we include the group of ferns and their allies.  This high diversity of plant species in such a small area makes Costa Rica a highly biodiverse country from the floristic point of view.

[Introduction]: This study poses a challenge for government climate change actions and discusses the emissions generated by burning waste in many neighborhoods of the city of Posadas (Argentina). Beyond the vehicular traffic and the industries that the city has, the unsafe air quality and the frequency of smog is related to one cultural practice: the burning of garbage. [Objective]: The objective of the work was to know and identify the residents’ burning practices, the management of risk and analyze the most critical areas in the southern outskirts of the city. [Methodology]: Information was obtained from a sampling of PM 2.5 particulate matter in a group of neighborhoods in the southern outskirts, as well as from interviews with neighbors. [Results]: It is analyzed, how disregarding legislation and waste collection systems, residents burn waste on sidewalks, vacant lots, house patios, and little-used streets, a problem that is not informed, controlled, or regulated. [Conclusions]: It is noted that, apart from the culture of disposing of garbage by burning, burning is a multidimensional problem since it affects air quality and has harmful effects on public health in the medium and long term.

Attaining Water Security is essential to achieve sustainable development. Water Security implies having access to adequate amounts of water of acceptable quality, but it also requires safeguarding the water resource and having an efficient and sustainable water sector. Today, the security of this sector is affected by cyberattacks. Cyber threats have increased exponentially in the last five years. It is estimated that every 39 seconds a new attack occurs somewhere on the world wide web. However, cybersecurity in the Latin America and the Caribbean water sector is in an incipient stage. This vulnerability of the sector endangers the country’s Water Security. This article presents a broad vision of the concept of water security and illustrates the real threat of cyberattacks, identifying the various elements that can be targeted by cybercriminals. The final considerations aim to suggest actions to raise awareness of the water sector in the face of the dangers of cybernetic attacks and to take steps to consolidate cybersecurity to facilitate or strengthen Sustainable Water Security.

Biography of Peter Pritchard: citizen of the world, researcher and protector of turtles.

[Introduction]: An adequate selection of technology in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the search for solutions to integrate these systems in the communities are necessary to promote a sustainable sanitation in the Latin American region. [Objective]: This article evaluates the recovery potential of by-products in an anaerobic-based WWTP for the community of Las Juntas de Abangares (10 000 inhabitants). [Methodology]: A mathematical model of mass and energy balance in the community was formulated to estimate the nutrient fluxes (N, P, K) and biogas generation in a proposed WWTP for the population, with an anaerobic reactor as treatment technology. The potential of use of nutrients (liquid and solid phase) to substitute chemical fertilizers in the Abangares region was evaluated and different energy uses of biogas were compared. [Results]: The results show that all the nutrients can be used in Abangares, as this supply would represent less than 1 % of the total demand of the grassland area available in this area. Additionally, the potential savings derived from the use of nutrients and biogas amounted to US $ 50 and 30 thousand dollars per year, respectively, and the use of biogas to replace firewood or cooking gas would allow a negative carbon WWTP. [Conclusions]: The study shows the potential of anaerobic reactors to promote a sustainable sanitation in the region, generating direct benefits and allowing a better integration of the treatment systems in the communities of Costa Rica and other Latin American countries.

[Introduction]: Thanks to the recent data provided by the GRACE satellites, it is possible to establish a prelimi- nary estimate of changes in groundwater storage (GWS), thus offering a new and unprecedented tool for studying the dynamics of aquifer-wetland systems. [Objective]: As a result of the trends observed in GRACE for the Magdalena-Cauca basin in Colombia, this study investigates the water availability of the aquifer-wetland systems. [Methodology]: For this purpose, a map overlay analysis was performed using GRACE data to estimate ground- water recharge and discharge for different basins and aquifer-wetland systems. [Results]: Considering the trends in groundwater storage (GWS), we obtained water volumes and translated these into recharge and discharge esti- mates of the aquifer-wetland systems identified in the Magdalena-Cauca basin. These values show a total recharge between 2002 and 2010 of 284.65 mm, followed by a loss of 490.68 mm between 2011 and 2017. Furthermore, good correspondence was observed between the ENSO and GWS events, especially during the strong 2010-2011 La Niña and 2015-2016 El Niño events, which caused severe impacts in the country and that were particularly evi- dent in the Mojana wetland area located in the north of the basin. [Conclusions]: Although these results have yet to be validated with continuous monitoring data, the results presented in this study raise questions on the formulation of better policies and management of water resources that promote future water security.

[Introduction]: The current urban mobility is producing a series of environmental conflicts noticed at a global level; most of these are linked to the use of motorized transport, responsible for energy consumption, the fragmentation and occupation of the territory due to the construction of roads, as well as noise and atmospheric pollution. Air quality is monitored in some cities of the world, but in Latin America, particularly in Mexico, the number of cities that attends this environmental affectation are the least amount, while the negative impacts on human health and ecosystems increase. The lack of data regarding air quality is due to the complexity of monitoring methods and the costs of their application. [Objective]: This publication presents a methodology formulated to quantify the emissions of some criteria pollutants and precursors (CO, NOx, SO2, VOC, PM10 and PM2.5) produced by the vehicle fleet that circulates in the Metropolitan Area of San Luis Potosí, México, [Methodology]: based on the analysis of the modal distribution of the population's daily trips, the analysis of vehicular activity and the calculation of emissions using the MOVES model. [Conclusions]: Identifying that motorized mobility contributes with the 56 % of the total criteria pollutant emissions and precursors generated by the mobile sources identified, so it is important to follow up on the analysis of air quality, make rational use of the car and promote policies for monitoring, control, and reduction of atmospheric pollution.