Region Of Andalusia Research Articles

Ecological and Economic Sustainability in Olive Groves with Different Irrigation Management and Levels of Erosion: A Case Study

In the last 50 years, both the agricultural labour force and irrigated land area have increased almost eightfold in Spain. The main objective of irrigation, in the short term, is to increase agricultural production. However, in the long term, the environmental externalities of irrigation and its direct relationship with soil erosion processes are more uncertain and still poorly studied. In this study, in an olive-growing region of Andalusia, Spain, the variation of several soil parameters related to irrigation and erosion levels was analysed. The results showed that irrigation, while increasing the productive level of the olive groves, entails a progressive alteration of the soil, modifying physical aspects (greater compaction and humidity of the soil together with lower gravel content, porosity and soil weight) and chemical aspects (reduction of the organic matter of the soil and the content of nitrates) that can aggravate the consequences of the erosive processes. In the long term, the productive benefit attributed to irrigation could be unsustainable from an ecological and, consequently, economic point of view. In addition, the lack of sustainability of olive irrigation agroecosystems could be exacerbated by the future restrictive impacts of climate change on water resources in Mediterranean environments. This situation demands spatial planning and alternative management based on soil conservation and rational and efficient forms of irrigation to ensure the sustainability of olive groves and their economic viability.

Are Western European ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) shortening their migration distances? Evidence from trends of the wintering population in the Iberian Peninsula

Here, we provide evidence that the number of Western European ospreys wintering in the Iberian Peninsula has been increasing over nearly two decades due to a reduction of the migration distances. We compared trends in wintering and breeding populations of ospreys in the Iberian Peninsula and western Europe, respectively, and we provide a detailed description of the present distribution and the numbers of ospreys wintering in the Iberian Peninsula. Observations of the species were collected as a citizen science project in January 2017. Based on the long-term data series from the Andalusian region (2004–2016) and from the Bay of Cadiz site (2000–2016), we estimated temporal trends in the population size of the ospreys wintering in these areas. Trends in the western European breeding population were derived from counts of ospreys migrating over the Strait of Gibraltar conducted by volunteers (1999–2016). All the trends were estimated by fitting a linear regression to the logarithm of the annual counts. For quantifying the origin of ospreys wintering in the Iberian Peninsula, we collected 204 confirmed field sightings of wintering ospreys in Spain and 155 in Portugal. We showed that the number of wintering ospreys has been increasing in southern Spain over the last 16 years. The magnitude of this increase is similar to the rate of change observed in the ospreys breeding across Western Europe. Recoveries of ringed birds in the Iberian Peninsula during winter indicate a reduction in the migration distances of Central and Northern European ospreys, making these birds winter at higher latitudes more than before. According to our results, this reduction in the migration distance was fairly uniform among different breeding populations in western Europe, but it did not affect all age classes equally, with juvenile birds more prone to winter at higher latitudes compared to adult birds. Our results showed that the overall number of ospreys which are shortening their migration distance, now over 3% of the total breeding population estimated for western Europe, is on an upward trend.

Isaac Albéniz’s Iberia as the Eternal Memory of Andalusia

The article is a case study illustrating the phenomenon of historical and cultural memory of the Andalusia region in the work of Isaac Albéniz, a famous Spanish composer of classical music on the turn of the 19th and 20th century. The article discusses the most outstanding composition of I. Albéniz Iberia in the context of the issue of national identity, history and culture of Andalusia. It contains a historical outline of individual Andalusian regions and Albéniz’s letters.

The invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) increases infection of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

Emerging infectious diseases are increasingly recognized as a severe threat to wildlife. Chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is considered one of the most important causes for the decline of amphibian populations worldwide. Identifying potential biological reservoirs and characterizing the role they can play in pathogen maintenance is not only important from a scientific point of view, but also relevant from an applied perspective (e.g. disease control strategies), especially when worldwide distributed invasive species are involved. We aimed (1) to analyse the prevalence and infection intensity of Bd in the invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) across the western Andalusian region in Spain; and (2) to assess whether the presence of crayfish affects the prevalence and infection intensity of Bd in amphibians of Donana Natural Space (DNS), a localized highly protected area within the Andalusian region. First, we found that infection prevalence in crayfish guts was 1.5% regionally (four out of 267 crayfish were qPCR positive to Bd, all of them belonging to the same Andalusian population); qPCR positives were histologically confirmed by finding zoosporangia of Bd in gastrointestinal walls of the red swamp crayfish. Second, we found a higher prevalence of Bd infection in DNS (19% for crayfish and 28% for amphibians on average), a place with great diversity and abundance of amphibians. Our analyses showed that prevalence of Bd in amphibians was related to the presence of the red swamp crayfish, indicating that this crayfish could be a suitable predictor of Bd infection in co-occurring amphibians. These results suggest that the red swamp crayfish might be a possible reservoir for Bd, representing an additional indirect impact on amphibians, a role that had not been previously recognised in its invasive range.

The Mediterranean Coast of Andalusia (Spain): Medium-Term Evolution and Impacts of Coastal Structures

This paper shows coastal evolution along the Andalusia Region (Spain) and the impacts on it of coastal structures. The study area was divided into 47 units to calculate the erosion/accretion/stability (or evolution) rates by using the DSAS extension of ArcGIS software. Evolution rates were divided into different classes from “Very high accretion” to “Very high erosion”. As a result, 9 units recorded accretion, 19 stability and 19 erosion. Further, 17 units presented a positive balance and 28 units a negative one, showing a negative net balance of 29,738.4 m2/year corresponding to the loss of 1784.30 km2 of beach surface in the 1956–2016 period. The distribution of evolution areas along the studied coast was carried out by means of the “R” project for statistical computing. The analysis evidenced the impact of rigid structures: accretion was essentially observed up-drift of ports and groins and in correspondence of protection structures, especially of breakwaters. Erosion classes were observed down-drift of ports and groins and in correspondence of revetments/seawalls, and at largest river deltas, and “stability” was observed at pocket beaches and coastal areas locally stabilized by protection structures. Last, results were used to determine the distribution of swash- and drift-aligned coastal sectors and main direction of sedimentary transport.

Multifractal analysis of diurnal temperature range over Southern Spain using validated datasets.

Multifractal properties of diurnal temperature range (DTR) have been analyzed in this work, using validated data of maximum and minimum temperature from 197 weather stations in Southern Spain (Andalusia region). DTR is a crucial factor to characterize the regional climate, providing more information than the average daily temperature. Apart from climate change studies, one of the most important applications of DTR in Agrometeorology is as an input variable in the solar radiation or reference evapotranspiration estimation models based on the temperature. With the aim of obtaining a detailed information for different time scales, different multifractal approaches have been applied. Different quality control methods such as range/limits or persistence tests were previously applied in order to detect incorrect and anomalous values, being discarded in the subsequent analysis. The DTR scaling of moments has been analyzed and the moment scaling exponent function K(q) has been obtained, finding some differences between weather stations. In addition, multifractal dimension (D1) and multifractal degree (MD) were also estimated, revealing differences at coastal and inland locations that show heterogeneity across the region, including its multifractal nature and its invariance for a range of scales. The nonlinear characterization carried out in this work improves the understanding of DTR as an indicator of climate changes, and it can have a very positive impact on the calibration of regional models for estimating solar radiation or reference evapotranspiration based on the temperature. This multifractal characterization can be used to group stations with similar nonlinear dynamics, regardless of their geographical features, in such a way that more accurate coefficients than conventional ones are used.

Territory and cooperativism: A spatial analysis of the Spanish region of Andalusia

This study seeks to identify the behavior of cooperative societies in Andalusia, as well as the environments in which their greater relative importance is evident. The weight of cooperative societies is significantly greater in Andalusia as compared to the rest of Spain. These organizations are noteworthy for acting under social, economic and environmental principles and values, and represent a potential opportunity for the region. The methodology applied for this purpose consists of spatial analysis using descriptive graphing techniques and application of spatial autocorrelation. Among the results obtained, a significant finding is these organizations’ defined behavior as opposed to that of mercantile or traditional businesses. In mapping the weight of cooperativism in Andalusia, this study enables a deeper understanding that could lead to improved design and execution of general and specific territorial policies, and with a greater guarantee of success.

A multiplier evaluation of primary factors supply–shocks in a regional economy

AbstractDemand‐side multipliers have ruled within multisectorial models as the main indicators for policy effectiveness and key‐sector determination both in linear interindustry analysis and in non‐linear applied general equilibrium models. In this paper we shift the perspective to supply‐side injections by studying the effects of marshalling additional primary factors (K, L) that give rise to a general resource reallocation. We obtain estimates of supply multipliers by numerically approximating the underlying and unobservable general equilibrium Jacobian matrix. These estimates provide complementary information to standard demand multipliers. We illustrate the methodology using an empirical general equilibrium model for the region of Andalusia, Spain.

Physico-chemical determinant parameters in the color of vertisolization and tirsification processes

A statistical analysis is carried out on the influence that certain physico-chemical parameters exert on tirsification and vertisolization pedological processes that occur under certain geomorphological conditions in Andalusia region (Spain). Both processes occur on a parent material with high contents in smectitic clays, massive and uniform and contrasting climatic conditions where periods of humidity and those of drought alternate. Chromic Vertisol (tirsificated) versus Calcium Vertisol (vertisolizated) (FAO, 2015) shows a greater interrelation between parameters given its greater weathering. Organic carbon controls a large part of its physical-chemical processes where the lateral washing of salts and carbonates together with manganese, always in a lower concentration than iron, play a definitive role in the blackening of its horizons. The chemical fertility is always low and the geomorphological conditions seems to account for its agricultural capacity.

Geoarchaeological Characterisation of Sites of Iberian and Roman Cordoba Using LiDAR Data Acquisitions

The National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN) carried out a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) flight for the entire region of Andalusia between 2013 and 2014, which completed the general LiDAR acquisitions obtained for all of Spain since 2010. Recently, successive updates of orthoimages of Spain and Andalusia have also been acquired. This geographic documentation allows several applications for the aerial detection of archaeological sites. In recent years, numerous discoveries have been made in Spain, especially in non-built-up areas located outside urban enclaves. Less attention, however, has been paid to the use of this geographical information in historic cities because, apparently, they do not preserve their historical micro relief. This study analyses the city of Cordoba (southern Spain) by processing LiDAR data of the Plan Nacional de Ortofotografía Aérea (PNOA-LiDAR). Digital Surface Models (DSM) obtained for the entire city, in combination with geological and archaeological records, provide evidence of the geomorphological reconstruction of the city in ancient times. Using Cordoba as an example, the main purpose of this article is to highlight the fact that LiDAR data are also useful for the diachronic analysis of ancient urban structures buried some metres deep in current historic cities.

Assessment approach of Development Education and Global Citizenship Education

International Cooperation requires an assessment of Development Education as a guide to understanding, evaluating and making decisions that improve the efficacy and impact of its actions. This study focuses on demonstrating how a tool that is used in formal education can also be used to assess Development Education and Global Citizenship Education (DEGCE).Through a descriptive analysis, we compared DEGCE with the social and citizenship competences assessed in the Spanish region of Andalusia. We found a strong relationship between them in terms of content, teaching-learning method, and evaluative approaches. This implies that the diagnosis of social and citizenship competences not only serves as a model, or example, for DEGCE assessment, but it also provides relevant and useful information to evaluate its present state.

PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS APPLIED IN THE WATER REQUIREMENT ESTIMATES IN IRRIGATION PROJECTS

ABSTRACT Spain contains a third the entire irrigated area of Europe, accounting for 15% of the cultivated area of the country and almost 60% of the national agricultural production. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variability of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and the probabilistic theory of extreme events is crucial for the elaboration of sustainable irrigation projects. The objective of this work was to define the frequency distribution that best describes ETo for the design of irrigation systems in the region of Andalusia. We used ETo data for the period 2001 to 2015 from 56 meteorological stations. The values were accumulated over three consecutive days. For all accumulated periods, nine probability distributions were adjusted. The probability distribution that best described ETo for the design of irrigation systems in the region was the Gumbel II distribution. The maximum daily ETo to be considered in irrigation projects in this region is, on average, 10 mm. The accumulated ETo for periods of 5, 10, and 30 days that should be considered are, on average, 42 mm, 78, mm and 224 mm, respectively.

Application of a dynamic model using agronomic and economic data to evaluate the sustainability of the olive grove landscape of Estepa (Andalusia, Spain)

In the Andalusia region (Spain), olive grove agro-systems cover a wide area, forming social-ecological landscapes. Recent socioeconomic changes have increased the vulnerability of these landscapes, resulting in the abandonment and intensification of farms. The provision of the main ecosystem services of these landscapes have thus been degraded. To analyse the sustainability of an olive grove social-ecological landscape in Andalusia. Specifically, to develop a quantitative model proposing land planning and management scenarios, considering abandonment, production and economic benefits of olive crops in different conditions of erosion and management. We applied a dynamic model using agronomic and economic data, to evaluate different types of olive management. We considered different levels of erosion, the loss of production related to this erosion, and useful life spans for each type of management. We simulated scenarios for the long-term assessment of dynamics of crops, abandonment rate, production and benefits. (a) There was a loss of productive lands and benefits in the medium term in the more intensive crops. (b) Scenarios that partially incorporated ecological management proved to be more sustainable without economic subsidies. (c) The spatial combination of integrated, intensive and ecological plots was sustainable, and was well balanced from an economic, productive and ecological point of view. Scenarios that partially incorporate ecological management allowed the best economic and environmental balance. However, to ensure the sustainability of olive landscapes, farmers should be financially rewarded for their role in the conservation of ecosystem services through landscape stewardship and direct environmental payments.

Economic Impact and Clinical Outcomes of Omalizumab Add-On Therapy for Patients with Severe Persistent Asthma: A Real-World Study.

BackgroundOmalizumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody indicated as add-on therapy to improve asthma control in patients with severe persistent allergic asthma.AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate social, healthcare expenditure and clinical outcomes changes after incorporating omalizumab into standard treatment in the control of severe asthma.MethodsIn this multicentre retrospective study, a total of 220 patients were included from 15 respiratory medicine departments in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura (Spain). Effectiveness was calculated as a 3-point increase in the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a reduction in the annual number of exacerbations. The economic evaluation included both direct and indirect costs. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated. Results from the year before and the year after incorporation of omalizumab were compared.ResultsAfter adding omalizumab, improvement of lung function, asthma and rhinitis according to patient perception, as well as the number of exacerbations and asthma control measured by the ACT score were observed. Globally, both healthcare resources and pharmacological costs decreased after omalizumab treatment, excluding omalizumab cost. When only direct costs were considered, the ICER was €1712 (95% CI 1487–1995) per avoided exacerbation and €3859 (95% CI 3327–4418) for every 3-point increase in the ACT score. When both direct and indirect costs were considered, the ICER was €1607 (95% CI 1385–1885) for every avoided exacerbation and €3555 (95% CI 3012–4125) for every 3-point increase.ConclusionsOmalizumab was shown to be an effective add-on therapy for patients with persistent severe asthma and allowed reducing key drivers of asthma-related costs.

Occurrence of staphylococcus aureus and its toxins in cheeses from the region of Andalusia, Spain

Occurrence of staphylococcus aureus and its toxins in cheeses from the region of Andalusia, Spain

Geographical origin of bivalve molluscs in coastal areas using natural radioactivity fingerprinting and multivariate statistical analyses: Andalusian coast as case of study.

The presence of natural and artificial radionuclides in the marine environment produces the accumulation of radionuclides in bivalve molluscs consumed by humans, and therefore it could result in a radiological hazard. In this study, the activity concentrations of 210Po, 40K, 210Pb and 234Th were determined in different types of bivalve molluscs sampled during the period of May 2014-June 2015, along coastal areas from the Andalusian region (South of Spain), through alpha-particle spectrometry and low-level gamma-ray spectrometry. The activity concentrations of 210Po; 40K; 210Pb and 234Th varied between 40 ± 2 and 515 ± 9 Bq kg-1 dry weight (d.w.); 121 ± 7 and 674 ± 34 Bq kg-1 d.w.; ND (lower than limit of detection) and 73 ± 10 Bq kg-1 d.w.; and ND and 126 ± 27 Bq kg-1 d.w., respectively. The committed effective dose to humans was calculated to range from 41 to 479 μSv year-1. Both activity concentrations and dose levels were comparable to previous studies from other countries. Finally, a multivariate statistical analysis of natural radioactivity content allowed the discrimination between bivalve molluscs from Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

Application of AHP and corrective factors for the determination of best available techniques and emission limit values at installation level: A case study in four cement installations

After the adoption of the Industrial Emissions Directive in the European Union, requirements regarding emission limit values were made legally binding, and the competent authorities shall ensure that they do not exceed the emission levels associated with the best available techniques. This paper describes a two-stage method for the determination of best available techniques (BAT) and emission limit values (ELV) at installation level, applicable to all industrial sectors covered by the IED and to all pollutants to air and to water. This new method may support competent authorities to implement BAT conclusions into the IED permits. The determination of BAT is based on the use of analytical hierarchy process, while the ELV is determined by using corrective factors based on consumption and emission indicators from the installation. The method is applied in a case study on four existing cement installations in the region of Andalucia (Spain).

Factors Influencing the Development of Digital Competence in Teachers: Analysis of the Teaching Staff of Permanent Education Centres

The technological development of recent decades has had an impact on the lifestyle of adults. As a result, it has been necessary for citizens to adapt and learn how to use technological resources, an essential requirement to foster employability. This requirement acquires a special nuance within Permanent Education, which mainly involves adults who would like to cover some training need. The aims of this study were to analyze the digital competence of Permanent Education teachers, and to determine the factors that have an impact on its development. Therefore, a quantitative methodology has been used, whereby a sample of Permanent Education teachers in the region of Andalusia, Spain, were asked to complete a questionnaire on digital competence (n = 140). The results confirmed the low digital competence of teachers, and how some factors such as age, kind of centre, prior training on ICT, degree, teaching experience and professional category affect the development of digital competence. The last part of the study discussed the potential explanations for the study findings and suggestions for future research.

Aportaciones de los servicios sociales comunitarios a la gestión descentralizada de los cuidados de larga duración. El caso andaluz (España)

El presente artículo pretende poner de manifiesto las ventajas e inconvenientes, de una gestión descentralizada de la Ley de Promoción de la Autonomía Personal y Atención a la Personas en Situación de Dependencia (LAPAD), en las diferentes regiones españolas por medio de los servicios sociales comunitarios de los entes locales. Para ello, se revisan los trabajos que se han elaborado al respecto para validar, posteriormente y a través de una encuesta semiestructurada dirigida a los trabajadores sociales que gestionan la dependencia, estas aportaciones para el caso de la región andaluza, concretamente para los servicios sociales comunitarios de la provincia de Huelva.

A practical method for the ex-ante evaluation of land consolidation initiatives: Fully connected parcels with the same value

Land consolidation is an important instrument open to public authorities seeking to achieve sustainable rural development, especially in countries where rural property is highly fragmented. As land consolidation projects are complex and costly, researchers have tried to better understand the concepts and improve the methodologies involved so as to ensure their success. In this paper, we propose a methodology for assessing ex-ante the most suitable areas in which land consolidation initiatives could be carried out. The land in these areas must have a similar per hectare value and must be fully connected, criteria that make land consolidation projects much easier to implement. The case study focuses on olive groves in the Andalusia region. Olives are a perennial crop with a very fragmented, static property structure. Previous land consolidation projects have often had poor results mainly because of the reluctance of the affected landowners to get involved, due to difficulties in ensuring that the land allocated to them in the consolidation process had the same value as the land they owned prior to it. Our results indicate that a land consolidation procedure in the areas identified would bring about a noticeable improvement in the property structure and production cost savings of between 5.8% and 15.3% depending on whether the farm is worked by the family or by hired employees.