Abandonment Of Traditional Activities Research Articles

Understanding change in traditional sustainable livelihoods: a complex socio-ecological system in an indigenous community in Mexico

Abstract This research documents how a transition to a more monetized, trade-based economy modifies the socio-ecological livelihoods system of the indigenous community of Santa Fe de la Laguna, in Mexico. The research found that there had been changes in community livelihoods, from traditional activities (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) to an economy based on handicraft production (pottery) and its trade. Through the modelling of the structure, dynamics, and change processes of the system, two key repercussions are identified: first, pottery production has intensified the extraction of soil and firewood, and second, the increase in trade and the abandonment of traditional activities are diminishing people’s links with nature, which is having an impact on their links with community sociocultural and institutional systems. The paper argues that the most important economic practices and related knowledge of the community may become unviable in the face of livelihood transformations that are responding to the global monetized economy.

From Pyrenees to Andes: The relationship between transhumant livestock and vultures

Transhumance is the traditional livestock practice consisting in the seasonal movement of herds between winter and summer pastures. Transhumance have important effects on the ecosystem functions from local to regional scales. Here, we 1) explored the relationship of vultures to transhumant herds, and 2) tested whether there is a shift on the use of space by vultures due to the decline of transhumance. For that, we first assessed whether vultures follow transhumant herds in two mountain areas with transhumant tradition, Pyrenees (Spain) and Andes (Argentina). Second, we compared both systems to determine whether the impact of transhumance on the use of space of vultures is greater in the area where transhumance is still relevant (Andes) than where this activity is in decline (Pyrenees). For this purpose, we analyzed the use of the summer pastures made by 50 griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) and 18 Andean condors (Vultur gryphus), as assessed by GPS tracking. Our findings showed that both species respond to transhumance by making greater use of summer pastures when herds are present. A higher proportion of condors made use of summer pastures than griffons, and condors individually made a more intense use of it than griffons. Differences could be explained by the fact that transhumance in the Andes is still important while in the Pyrenees is declining and the amount of carrion provided is lower. Given that the abandonment of traditional activities is a phenomenon underway, it is urgent to evaluate the effects it will have on biodiversity conservation.

LIPID METABOLISM AND METABOLIC DISORDERS IN THE YAKUT POPULATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Extreme climatic conditions of the North with low temperatures and the traditional diet are responsible for development of a specific mechanisms of lipid metabolism among the indigenous peoples of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. The evolutionary patterns of lipid metabolism fixed in the genome in the form of polymorphic genetic markers are important for the development of regional healthcare programs for prevention of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the study was to analyze the characteristic features of lipid metabolism and metabolic disorders in the Yakut population. A systematic review of the results of studies of lipid profile parameters and key candidate genes involved in lipid metabolism among the indigenous inhabitants of Yakutia over the past 10 years was performed. The available evidence suggests that in indigenous inhabitants of Yakutia, the indicators of lipid metabolism are not a matter for concern. Participants of the most studies have a high concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low concentrations of triglycerides and low plasma atherogenic index, which are associated with physiological adaptation to environmental conditions. However, changes in dietary patterns including increased consumption of carbohydrates and lifestyle changes including reduced physical activity and abandonment of traditional activities have led to the spread of metabolic disorders in recent decades. Prevalence estimates for the metabolic syndrome in the indigenous inhabitants of Yakutia aged 20 years or older vary from 4.9 % in men to 49.4 % in women in the Arctic regions. We also discuss the mechanisms of lipid metabolism and the role of LepR, LPL, CETP, IL6, PON1 genes in the development of metabolic disorders in the Yakut population.

La dinámica del paisaje en la Sierra del Aramo (Macizo Central Asturiano): procesos naturales y antrópicos

Se analizan los procesos naturales y antrópicos que intervienen en la dinámica del paisaje de la Sierra del Aramo, en especial la dinámica de laderas y el calentamiento atmosférico, así como el despoblamiento y los cambios de usos del suelo en los medios de montaña. La metodología ha combinado el trabajo de campo, la fotointerpretación de imágenes aéreas, el análisis de datos climáticos, fuentes demográficas y agrarias. El despoblamiento y el abandono de las actividades tradicionales explican la disminución de los pastizales. No obstante, la intensidad de los aludes de nieve actuales interfiere en buena medida en la recuperación de los bosques. En efecto, 3,7 km2 de la Sierra del Aramo se hallan deforestados por la recurrencia de tales avalanchas. Se muestra, por tanto, la relevancia de los aludes de nieve en la dinámica del paisaje de las montañas medias en las latitudes templadas.

Changes in biodiversity indicators in managed and unmanaged forests in NE Spain

Major changes in Mediterranean forests have occurred in recent decades, mainly as a result of the abandonment of traditional activities and population decline in rural areas. In this study, we analyzed the short-term (11-year) evolution of forests in the region of Catalonia (NE Spain) and the role of management, by comparing seven biodiversity indicators estimated from 7,664 plots from the Second and Third Spanish National Forest Inventory. We evaluated the changes in unmanaged and managed stands with different silvicultural treatments, and considered the effect of stand density and land ownership on these dynamics. We found a general naturalization and maturation of forests and an increase in all of the biodiversity indicators investigated during the study period, with the increments being greater in unmanaged than in managed plots. Some types of silvicultural treatments, such as selection cutting or thinning, were shown to be compatible with an increase in the analyzed indicators, and thus were more adequate for a multifunctional management that considers forest production together with the maintenance or improvement of the diversity of forest communities. The increases in shrub species richness and in the number of large-diameter trees after silvicultural treatments were more prominent in dense stands. Private lands presented greater short-term increases than public forests in all biodiversity indicators, except for large-diameter trees. From these results, we concluded that the application of silvicultural treatments can be a key tool to shape and maintain diverse and healthy forest structures in the context of socioeconomic and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region, which may induce potentially excessive densification and homogenization of some forest stands and landscapes.

Abandonment of grazing in a mediterranean grassland area: consequences for ant assemblages

Abstract. 1. Abandonment of traditional activities in the rural areas is widespread in the developed world, and in the case of grazing, it is known to have negative consequences on the diversity of plant communities. Few studies have examined the impact of grazing abandonment on fauna, which in the case of ants is of considerable interest, given their usefulness as an indicator for monitoring environmental change.2. Here, we present the results of a study conducted in Mediterranean grasslands of central Spain. Using pitfall traps, ants were sampled from 10 40 m× 20 m plots; five of them located in grazed systems and five in abandoned grazing systems. Descriptors used for the ant assemblage were ant species composition, ant species richness, ant functional groups, and subguilds of granivores. We used a seed bait test to discriminate between granivorous and non‐granivorous ant species.3. Our results show that abandoned grazing systems have more ant species and more heterogeneous ant assemblages. Changes in ant species composition and ant functional groups are more pronounced in habitats where woody encroachment progresses more rapidly (i.e. dry sectors and tree islands). Specialised granivores have reduced importance in the same habitat types. Conversely, facultative granivores increase their presence in abandoned grazing systems.4. The increased functional and species ant diversity observed with grazing abandonment can be explained by the generation of a more heterogeneous environment at the smaller scales, in spite of being more homogenous at the larger scales, because the latter are less significant for the organisms studied.