Socio-ecological Situation Research Articles

Algorithm of Development for Stabilization of Socio-Ecological Situation in Karakalpakstan

The relevance of developing a scientific framework for stabilizing the socio-ecological situation of the Republic of Karakalpakstan is determined by the need to address the environmental, social and economic challenges faced by the region. It is designed to improve the population’s quality of life, sustainable development and balanced interaction with the environment. The purpose of the research was to establish the relationship between social and environmental factors, to establish a mathematical model based on them, which will enable predicting future development and establishing a set of recommendations to improve the situation in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The methods of theoretical analysis and mathematical modelling were used. The research outlines modern ideas about modelling the dynamics of socio-ecological processes in the example of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. It is established that the Republic has several problems, the solution of which should be started shortly. Considerable attention is paid to the setting of tasks and using for this purpose methods of system analysis of socio-ecological factors. In this work, the analysis of factors affecting the social and environmental environment of the Republic of Karakalpakstan using regression analysis is considered. The parameters of the developed mathematical model and their adequacy are determined. The developed mathematical model will allow identification of the social and ecological situation of the republic. At the end of the work, ten priority points for the next 5-10 years to improve the socio-ecological situation were presented. The practical value of the results is implemented in promoting the identification of new powerful reserves for further improvement of the management of social processes. This approach allows for increasing the national economic efficiency of the region and ensuring a balance between economic, social and environmental aspects of development, which is an essential step towards a sustainable future.

Socio-ecological situation in small mono-industrial cities of Russia

The article presents the author’s approach to the study of environmental problems using the concept of socio-ecological situation. The interpretation of this concept and an example of its use in the survey of small mono-industrial cities of Russia are given. The results of such a survey are given, which showed that the presented approach can be used in the study of environmental problems of small towns and other socio-territorial formations.

Problems of Maintaining Public Health, Improving Medical Culture, and Improving the Socio-Ecological Situation in Uzbekistan

Objectives: The primary focus of this article is to investigate various aspects related to healthcare in Uzbek families. It aims to contribute to the improvement of medical culture and the socio-ecological situation in the region. The specific objectives include assessing and addressing problems within the healthcare system, identifying factors that influence the health and standard of living of the population, and promoting the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.
 
 Methods: To achieve the stated objectives, the article employs a comprehensive methodology. It involves the examination of the new worldview formation, identification of social factors crucial in preventing negative situations, and an analysis of the practical activities undertaken to understand the social situation resulting from these consequences. Additionally, the research delves into proposals for changing attitudes towards the environment and fostering a healthier lifestyle.
 
 Results: The findings of this study focus on understanding the factors contributing to environmental actions in Uzbekistan, particularly in the context of protecting the health of mothers and children. The research addresses issues related to an unhealthy environmental situation and environmental protection, aiming to reveal specific aspects that influence and shape these concerns.
 
 Conclusion: In conclusion, this article synthesizes the research by emphasizing the critical importance of addressing environmental issues in Uzbekistan to protect the health of vulnerable populations, such as mothers and children. The findings underscore the need for concerted efforts to tackle problems associated with the socio-ecological situation. The conclusion also highlights specific aspects of the identified issues and suggests potential directions for future interventions or policies to enhance healthcare and environmental protection in Uzbek families. Overall, the article serves as a valuable contribution to the understanding of the complex interplay between healthcare, social factors, and environmental conditions in Uzbekistan.

Environmental problems from rainfall runoff

The state of surface water objects requires constant attention, since on the one hand – they are the sources of fresh water, and on the other hand – the wastewater receivers. Whole range of factors influence the state of surface waters: climatic characteristics, hydrology, soil features and water quality. The relevance of this topic is due to the difficult socio-ecological situation in the river basins of Ukraine; during decades, the aquatic ecosystems have been considered and used only as an economic resource for industrial and agricultural production and the discharge of pollutants, which has led to a rapid decrease in the ecological potential of natural water objects. The purpose of the study is to analyze the natural and anthropogenic impacts on the formation of surface runoff, to determine mathematical dependencies for an adequate calculation of volumes of surface runoff, considering the anthropogenic impacts, which changes the natural features of hydrographs in watercourses and the quality of surface waters. To determine the volumes of surface runoff, it is used the methods that are based both on the direct instrumental measurements and on the construction of various digital models. In the course of the study, it has been identified the main factors influencing the formation of anthropogenic floods, as well as the most typical pollutants, which are present in the surface runoff from the areas with residential construction and artificial coating. The article proposes a number of improvements to the existing mathematical dependencies based on the theory of isochrones for a more accurate display of the processes that form the surface runoff. The resulting mathematical model can be used for predicting the surface runoff from various surfaces, both natural and those that have undergone changes as a result of anthropogenic impact, which in the future can become the basis for the development of environmental measures

РОЛЬ ИЕРАРХИЧЕСКИХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ ФАКТОРОВ ОКРУЖАЮЩЕЙ СРЕДЫ В ФОРМИРОВАНИИ НОЗОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ СТРУКТУРЫ СМЕРТНОСТИ

When identifying changes in the health status of the population, it is relevant to study the modern structure of diseases. The purpose of the study is to assess the quantitative and structural changes in mortality associated with factors of different origin in the process of evolution of the regional anthropological ecosystem. Material and methods. Rates and structure of male mortality in the Irkutsk region for the period from 1990 to 2020 have been analyzed. The study used standardized mortality rates according to the European standard population. The trends were evaluated through linear models using standard Excel tools. Significance of the trend equation was calculated using F-test (IBM SPSS Statistics 23). Results. At the 1st stage (1990-1991), the structure of mortality was dominated by: diseases of the circulatory system (34.9%), neoplasms (17.6%), external causes (27.7%), and respiratory diseases (7.4%). At the 2nd stage (1992-2005), the situation was mainly determined by psychogenic factors. Those impacts are indicated as follows: sharply increased mortality from acute vascular heart and brain damages, suicide, murder and accident. At the 3-d stage (2006-2019), along with improvements in the socio-economic situation, the mortality rate was decreasing, especially across the following disease classes: diseases of the circulatory system (from 1237.3 to 785.5o/oooo), external causes (from 553.3 to 228.4o/oooo), respiratory diseases (from 182.2 to 75.2o/oooo). A long-term trend towards increasing mortality from infectious and parasitic diseases was identified. No trend in the dynamics in mortality from diseases of the digestive system was registered. Significant changes in the structure of mortality were noted for infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory diseases, and digestive diseases indicating a phenomena of pathomorphosis. Since 2020, a new socio-ecological situation has begun to take shape due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A new coronavirus infection has become a powerful factor of pathomorphosis and restructuring of the entire socio-ecological system. Conclusion. Disease development and the relevant mortality are associated with hierarchical changes in the impact of factors of different origin (socio-economic, psychogenic, epidemiological) on the population. Pathomorphosis suggests unfavorable structural changes in the medical, demographic and socio-ecological status of the population.

Концепция управления временем В.Н. Муравьева в эпоху антропоцена: диалог естественного и искусственного

This article analyses the teaching of Valerian Muravyov, a Russian cosmist, in the context of modern ecological discourse. It is emphasized here that at present, due to the active technological development, society is faced with the Anthropocene crisis. Its manifestations and ways of overcoming it are reflected in the works by representatives of Russian cosmism. The object of the research is the philosophical heritage of Muravyov as a prominent representative of the Russian philosophical thought. The purpose of this article was to study the concept of mastering time, developed by Muravyov, in order to find ways out of the dangerous socio-ecological situation in which the society of the Anthropocene epoch found itself in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as well as to determine the possibilities of maintaining a balance between the natural and artificial human habitats under these conditions. Achieving this goal requires accomplishing a number of tasks, such as: a general analysis and assessment of the relevance of the idea of mastering time to the global problems of our era; examination of Muravyov’s interpretation of the concept of culture and its extrapolation to the problems of nature preservation in the process of the ongoing technological revolution; exploration of the works of philosophical and ecological theorists within the framework of the Anthropocene concept, while identifying correlations between these works and Muravyov’s ideas. The scientific novelty of this paper consists in the dissection of Muravyov’s ideas, still largely unresearched, in considering their relevance to the current socio-ecological problems, as well as in analysing their similarities with and differences from the theories of other representatives of the ecological and philosophical thought. In addition, the paper suggests possible ways to overcome the current crisis. It is concluded that Muravyov’s concept, including the idea of a rational transformation of the world by people, which requires their uniting for a common cause, may be applied to solve the problems faced by humanity in the Anthropocene epoch.

Ensuring the environmental safety of food when using biological products in the protection of cabbage agrocenosis

The use of chemical means of protecting plants from diseases and pests to increase yields and improve the presentation of the product leads to negative consequences. The main one is the accumulation of chemical residues in products and the release of resistant forms of pathogens. The use of microbial antagonists that suppress the development of phytopathogenic fungi is considered as an alternative method of plant protection. Biological preparations for suppressing plant diseases are based on antagonist microorganisms, hyperparasites, and biota metabolites. An increase in the share of biological protection and a decrease in the share of the use of agrochemicals in the plant protection system contributes to the improvement of the socio-ecological situation. The search for technological methods for reducing the frequency of treatments is especially important for the cabbage culture. In this regard, this article evaluates the effectiveness of biological products in protecting cabbage agrocenosis and increasing productivity.

Homeostatic version of the formation of human capital: ecological aspect

Now it is found that under the capitalized qualities of a person, not only high-tech competencies can be understood. This capital does not exist outside time and space; Its implementation responds to specific social queries. For example, with the current demographic dynamics, the territory of a huge country through a couple of generations will be unnecessary. The article substantiates the thesis that the post-industrial model of the history is an optional development line. In conditions of social entropy, the return to homeostatic equilibrium with an ecological environment is both the most humanistic, and the most clearly predicted, and the least costly of the future scenarios. The consideration of the inevitability of homeostasis, in turn, leads to the need to interpret the concept of «human capital», which will allow the typical carrier of such capital to be the most successful in the new socio-ecological situation.

Chemical monitoring of the socio-ecological situation in resource-producing regions

The article examines the problems associated with the environmental situation in resource-producing regions, the causes of which are associated with air pollution, soil, water bodies, etc. as a result of human activity, waste from industrial, including coal enterprises. To reduce the negative impact on these processes, as well as to control the ecological state, it is necessary to monitor, including from the chemical point of view, the dynamics of changes in the state of the environment, as well as its impact on a person, his life activity and the surrounding social infrastructure. We are talking about the degree of influence of the level of pollution on human health, on the quality of food consumed and industrial production, which ultimately has a significant impact on the quality of life and demographic processes at the regional level. The necessity of constant chemical monitoring of the composition of the atmospheric air of industrial cities, which is affected by human economic activity, is emphasized. This is especially true for the coal industry, depending on its distance from industrial centers, the state of treatment facilities and socio-economic opportunities for the use and application of "green" technologies. The use of scrubbers ("wet") ash collectors, traditional methods of water treatment, including the use of settling tanks and filter treatment facilities at coal mining enterprises, etc. contribute to the use of cleaning products for the reclamation of land disturbed by coal mines as a result of economic activities. Environmental policy should be implemented in accordance with the regional environmental standard adopted in the Kemerovo Region as part of the development strategy until 2035 and aimed at ensuring environmental-oriented and energy-efficient economic growth.

Runaway brain-culture coevolution as a reason for larger brains: Exploring the "cultural drive" hypothesis by computer modeling.

Scale and tempo of brain expansion in the course of human evolution implies that this process was driven by a positive feedback. The “cultural drive” hypothesis suggests a possible mechanism for the runaway brain‐culture coevolution wherein high‐fidelity social learning results in accumulation of cultural traditions which, in turn, promote selection for still more efficient social learning. Here we explore this evolutionary mechanism by means of computer modeling. Simulations confirm its plausibility in a social species in a socio‐ecological situation that makes the sporadic invention of new beneficial and cognitively demanding behaviors possible. The chances for the runaway brain‐culture coevolution increase when some of the culturally transmitted behaviors are individually beneficial while the others are group‐beneficial. In this case, “cultural drive” is possible under varying levels of between‐group competition and migration. Modeling implies that brain expansion can receive additional boost if the evolving mechanisms of social learning are costly in terms of brain expansion (e.g., rely on complex neuronal circuits) and tolerant to the complexity of information transferred, that is, make it possible to transfer complex skills and concepts easily. Human language presumably fits this description. Modeling also confirms that the runaway brain‐culture coevolution can be accelerated by additional positive feedback loops via population growth and life span extension, and that between‐group competition and cultural group selection can facilitate the propagation of group‐beneficial behaviors and remove maladaptive cultural traditions from the population's culture, which individual selection is unable to do.

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STABILITY OF WORKING POPULATION OF PRE-RETIREMENT AGE (BY EXAMPLE OF VOLGOGRAD REGION)

In the working population of pre-retirement age in Volgograd and the Volgograd region, studies of psychophysiological stability, individual features of the organization of the nervous system and the functional state of the sensorimotor sphere were performed. The majority of persons of the surveyed individuals living in areas with hypo comforted conditions shown decrease in psychophysiological stability. In pre-pensioners living in areas with precomfort conditions, involutionary mental depression manifests itself more significantly than if the aging body is affected by negative exogenous factors of a complex socio-ecological situation. The development of situational symptoms must be considered when follow-up surveys of people over 50 years old.

Экософская инициация в контексте образовательного процесса

Education as an agent of socialization is an essential component of changing the socio-ecological situation, forming an ecological culture and worldview. The educational process is considered as a catalyst for the modification of social and natural relations, which is associated with its comprehensive socializing and initiating purpose. Of particular importance in the ecological and educational space is the philosophical knowledge, which provides a unique socio-cultural experience in understanding reality and theoretical tools for its cognition and development (dialectics, philosophical reflection, philosophical hermeneutics). Philosophical reflection of the process of environmental socialization is a necessary condition for constructing a holistic picture of socio-ecological reality. The use of the concept of “ecosophic initiation” in the contextual field of the educational process is proposed, which acts as a qualitative informally ritualized condition for a person to become involved in ecological socialization with the spiritual and moral values of harmonious coexistence with the natural environment, producing a stable socio-psychological mood for gaining selfhood and the possibility of constructing new unique meanings. Ecosophic initiation is characterized by the following parameters: transference of socio-ecological meanings (pedagogical aspect), author's initiative (general scientific aspect), praxeological activity (practical aspect of activity). A philosophical reflection on the conceptual structure of ecosophic initiation, represented by cognitive, emotional and volitional components, is carried out. The study focuses on the accumulation-revolutionary and adaptation-replacing consumerism mechanism in the context of the implementation of a personal project.

Assessment of environmental risks from atmospheric air pollution in industrially developed regions of Ukraine

Currently, atmospheric pollution is one of the main causes of premature mortality in the world. The problem is especially relevant for economically underdeveloped countries, in particular Ukraine, the economy of which has been developing for a long time in an extensive way. The complicated socio-ecological situation in the territory of the country is due, first of all, to insufficient financing of the medical industry and environmental protection, outdated technologies in industries, etc. The purpose of the study is to assess the environmental risks of atmospheric air pollution in industrialized regions of Ukraine. Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, which are part of the Donetsk-Prydnistrovsky economic macro-district, a powerful center of metallurgy and machine-building of the national level, were selected for the study. As part of the study, the ambient air condition was assessed from the point of view of sanitary-hygienic norms in compliance with state environmental standards as well as the risks of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects from atmospheric pollution.Regional monitoring data on average annual concentrations of common pollutants and heavy metals in the atmospheric air of the cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro regions were used in calculations, averaged over the period from 2014 to 2016. The results of calculations have shown that the total non-carcinogenic risk from atmospheric air pollution in all studied cities exceeds the permissible level: Dnipro – 19.8 HQ; Kamianske– 23.3 HQ; Kryviy Rig – 19.3 HQ; Kharkiv – 11.9 HQ. The pollutants: PM2.5, copper, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, manganese and phenol mostly contribute to the greatest non-carcinogenic risk. The dominance of these chemicals and elements in the structure of pollution in the studied cities leads to high probability of development of harmful effects in the respiratory organs – 11.1 to 22.3 HQ; cardiovascular system – 2.9 to 12.3 HQ; immune system – 1.7 to 4.7 HQ; eyes – 0.8 to 4 HQ; central nervous system – 1,4 to 4,6 HQ. The risk of carcinogenic effects is calculated for substances with proven carcinogenic effects: formaldehyde, nickel, cadmium, lead and chromium. The obtained carcinogenic risk from atmospheric air pollution within the studied cities falls into two categories: conventionally acceptable level of risk and acceptable level of risk. The greatest carcinogenic danger is from pollution of atmospheric air by chromium. Contribution of chromium to total carcinogenic risk ranges from 53.6 to 90.6%. Taking into account the obtained results, it is expedient to include the assessment of the risks to the population’s health in the system of monitoring and control of the environment in Ukraine.

Migration Outflow in Monotowns of Kemerovo Region Studied by Methods of Mathematical Modelling: Integrated Approach

The article deals with the problem of population migration as a factor affecting the prospects for the development of monotowns in Kemerovo region (by the example of Novokuznetsk - a monotown with a stable social and economic situation). One of the negative trends being observed in the monotowns of Kuzbass and determining their development is the growth of natural population decline and negative migration balance. The authors approach the solution of the problem posed from the standpoint of the mathematical theory of optimal processes. At the first stage, integrated assessments of social and environmental attractiveness of a mono-town for the population are constructed to analyze this problem. To find them, the process under investigation is decomposed and pre-sented as a hierarchical model. In the second stage, the dynamics of change in the resulting integrated assessments - environmental attractiveness, housing conditions, the effectiveness of health care and education system operation - is studied by methods of statistical analysis alongside with the impact produced on them due to changes in municipal budget expenditures of the urban district un-der consideration in various areas of financing: “National issues”, “National economy”, “Education”, “Culture, cinematography”, “Public health”, “Social policy”, “Environmental protection”. Based on the dependencies obtained, a model of optimal control is constructed that allows determining the effective distribution of budgetary funds in order to achieve the most favorable socio-ecological situation in a monotown. The proposed model can be used by mu-nicipal authorities in developing programs for the strategic development of monotowns.

Assessing Food Systems and Their Impact on Common Pool Resources and Resilience

The ongoing expansion of agro-industrial food systems is associated with severe socio-ecological problems. For a closer look at the socio-ecological impacts, we analyze the capacity of six food systems to provide farm-based agroecosystem services with the Agroecosystem Service Capacity (ASC) approach. At the same time, we analyze how food systems affect the management of common pool resources (CPR). Our findings show that indigenous peoples and agroecological food systems can have up to three times the ASC-index of agro-industrial food systems. Through their contribution to the sustainable management of cultural landscapes with robust institutions for the management of CPRs, food systems contribute to socio-ecological integrity. On the other hand, regional and agro-industrial food systems with a lower ASC-index contribute less to socio-ecological integrity, and they undermine and open up common property institutions for robust CPR management. As a result, they appropriate (or grab) access to CPRs that are vital for food systems with higher ASC-indexes resulting from a robust management of CPRs. Strengthening a robust management of CPRs could put a halt to the ongoing expansion of food systems with a low ASC-index by replacing them with a high ASC-index to prevent an exacerbation of the current socio-ecological situation.

Physiological stress responses in wild Asian elephants Elephas maximus in a human-dominated landscape in the Western Ghats, southern India

Increasing anthropogenic pressures on forests, especially in the tropical regions of the world, have restricted several large mammalian species such as the Asian elephant to fragmented habitats within human-dominated landscapes. In this study, we assessed the effects of an anthropogenic landscape and its associated conflict with humans on the physiological stress responses displayed by Asian elephants in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats mountains in south India. We have quantified faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations in focal individual elephants within and across herds, inhabiting both anthropogenic and natural habitats, and evaluated their physiological responses to different socio-ecological situations between November 2013 and April 2014. Physiological stress responses varied significantly among the tested elephant age- and sex categories but not across different types of social organisation. Adults generally showed higher FGM concentrations, even in the absence of stressors, than did any other age category. Males also appeared to have higher stress responses than did females. Although there was no significant variation in mean stress levels between elephants on the plateau in the absence of human interactions and those in adjacent, relatively undisturbed forest habitats, FGM concentrations increased significantly for adult and subadult individuals as well as for calves following drives, during which elephants were driven off aggressively by people. Our study emphasises the general importance of understanding individual variation in physiology and behaviour within a population of a seriously threatened mammalian species, the Asian elephant, and specifically highlights the need for long-term monitoring of the stress physiology and behavioural responses of individual elephants across both human-dominated and natural landscapes. Such studies would not only provide comprehensive insights into the adaptive biology of elephants in changing ecological regimes but also aid in the development of effective management and conservation strategies for endangered populations of the species.

Interrupting the Anthropo-obScene: Immuno-biopolitics and Depoliticizing Ontologies in the Anthropocene

This paper argues that ‘the Anthropocene’ is a deeply depoliticizing notion. This de-politicization unfolds through the creation of a set of narratives, what we refer to as ‘AnthropoScenes’, which broadly share the effect of off-staging certain voices and forms of acting. Our notion of the Anthropo-obScene is our tactic to both attest to and undermine the depoliticizing stories of ‘the Anthropocene’. We first examine how various AnthropoScenes, while internally fractured and heterogeneous, ranging from geo-engineering and earth system science to more-than-human and object-oriented ontologies, place things and beings, human and non-human, within a particular relational straitjacket that does not allow for a remainder or constitutive outside. This risks deepening an immunological biopolitical fantasy that promises adaptive and resilient terraforming, an earth system management of sorts that permits life as we know it to continue for some, while turning into a necropolitics for others. Second, we develop a post-foundational political perspective in relation to our dramatically changing socio-ecological situation. This perspective understands the political in terms of performance and, in an Arendtian manner, re-opens the political as forms of public-acting in common that subtracts from or exceeds what is gestured to hold socio-ecological constellations together. We conclude that what is off-staged and rendered obscene in ‘the AnthropoScenes’ carries precisely the possibility of a return of the political.

Europe as a model for large carnivores conservation: Is the glass half empty or half full?

At first sight, the increasing trend of many large mammal populations in EU Member States are the results from successful application of EU environmental legislation. In this perspective a ‘rewilding’ Europe appears as a laudable conservation goal. It has been therefore suggested that the EU model of carnivores-humans coexistence could be of interest to several other regions of the Planet. In the present paper we critically review alleged successes of the EU conservation policies. Our conclusions suggest that some optimistic reports should be taken cautiously. Firstly, one should not lose sight of the heterogeneity of ‘Europe’ and the different histories and socio-ecological situations of the 28 Member States. Furthermore, we doubt whether the positive status of large carnivores in Eastern Europe is attributable exclusively to EU conservation policies. Long time spans necessary for demographic recovery in large carnivores sharply contradict the quite recent entry of these countries into the EU. The EU model is possible owing to the unique socio-economic development that Western Europe experienced after the Second World War. Economic growth, urbanization, rural abandonment and reforestation are the main forces behind the increase of large mammals in some areas of Western Europe. Yet this has been possible only through a considerable input of natural resources from outside EU (food, raw materials, oil, gas etc.). Therefore, although there are examples that could be considered good experiences, we are of the opinion that the EU policies as a general model is unlikely to be exportable world-wide and may have negative consequences for wildlife, even in Eastern Europe.

Policy Democracy: Social and Material Participation in Biodiesel Policy-Making Processes in India

Following its 2003 biodiesel mission, the Indian national government released its controversial policy on biodiesel in December 2009. Viewing the policy as a set of propositions that have been progressively assembled and constituted by many voices, we study its making on the basis of 72 qualitative interviews and ethnographic fieldwork. We consider the policy-making process to constitute policy democracy if its propositions were well-articulated. A well-articulated proposition is one that has registered the voices of many different human and nonhuman entities, including those that were hitherto mute. In addition, a well-articulated proposition must have allowed the entities to challenge and recompose it. And it must not have turned the entities’ actions and voices into a repetitive singularity. Finally, a well-articulated proposition is not easily transferrable between different socio-ecological situations. We argue that the Indian government attempted to perform policy democracy, by being partially responsive to some entities’ recalcitrance. However, it failed to register crucial voices associated with biodiesel production such as those of water and CO2. It also turned many voices into repetitive singularities, discounting the different relations that allow an entity to speak in multiple voices. The policy’s propositions remained easily transferrable between diverse socio-ecological situations, ignoring the immense diversity of India’s lands, their inhabitants and their practices associated with biodiesel production. Finally, due to a severe disconnect between the various voices registered in its different propositions, we argue that the policy lacked overall consistency.

Water management in the Argentine semiarid Chaco: a historical perspective on social-ecological systems

This article explores how historical processes related to water management, land use and bio-geophysical conditions, would have structured the current socio-ecological situation at the Figueroa Irrigation System (Santiago del Estero, Argentina). The study focuses on a peasant community through an oral history approach. In addition, historic technical reports about irrigation systems and river dynamics, and other secondary information were reviewed and compared with local peasant testimonies. The results suggest that government actions—taken at regional level on the Salado River basin—had a negative impact on the local agro-ecosystem and on management that had been adapted to local ecosystem dynamics. This study proposes that past events still influence river dynamics and therefore land use and natural resources management of local peasants. The role of local historical perspectives is a key element to understand social-ecological system changes and to forecast future trajectories.