Hermelindo Castro’s research while affiliated with University of Almería and other places

This study implements the ecosystem service framework to link the concepts of farming activity and ecosystem restoration within the circular economy. It proposes a method for identifying social indicators of ecosystem restoration that can be taken into account in the transition towards more circular and sustainable agricultural systems. Using a case study located in semi-arid Mediterranean landscapes, we conducted a social sampling with 350 respondents to explore how an almond tree restoration changes perceptions and preferences for ecosystem services, and how these socio-ecological changes translate into indicators of natural capital and human wellbeing. Results not only indicated that the almond tree restoration induced changes in people´s preferences and perceptions for ecosystem services, such as an increase in ecosystem service diversity (i.e., local identity and erosion control), but they also demonstrated how the social and cultural benefits associated to ecosystem services can be used as indicators of human well-being (i.e., human health and access to goods). We suggest that the inclusion of social indicators of ecosystem restoration must be included in policies and initiatives for a transition to circular economy, and to achieve the challenges of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

El hábitat prioritario 5220 dominado por Ziziphus lotus ha experimentado en las últimas décadas en España un gran retroceso de su área de distribución y un grave deterioro de su funcionamiento. A pesar del conocimiento generado por parte de los investigadores para su puesta en valor, gestión y conservación, éste difícilmente permea en el ámbito de la gestión y la sociedad. El objetivo de este estudio fue desarrollar y evaluar un proceso transdisciplinar como medio para producir conocimiento colectivo sobre este hábitat y promover una cultura de responsabilidad compartida que contribuya a su conservación. Para llevarlo a cabo 1º) realizamos una revisión bibliográfica del conocimiento existente de esta especie, y 2º) desarrollamos un proceso transdisciplinar en una comunidad de práctica integrada por investigadores, gestores y agentes sociales. Este estudio permitió (1) identificar lagunas de conocimiento científico y oportunidades de investigación en torno a Ziziphus lotus y su hábitat y, (2) definir e impulsar la puesta en práctica de 13 estrategias colaborativas ciencia-gestión-sociedad para contribuir a su conservación. A lo largo del estudio identificamos diversas condiciones operativas que facilitaron el proceso transdisciplinar. Entre estas condiciones destacaron: (i) generación de ambientes de confianza entre miembros de la comunidad de práctica; (ii) empleo de enfoques de intermediación de conocimiento por investigadores con habilidades transdisciplinares, y (iii) creación de procesos deliberativos basados en enfoques de co-aprendizaje y co-producción de conocimiento orientados a la obtención de resultados prácticos. Asimismo, presentamos y evaluamos una herramienta gráfica que actuó como objeto frontera, catalizando la acción colectiva para la conservación de esta especie. Este estudio puede servir de guía para desarrollar futuros procesos transdisciplinares en otros contextos y ámbitos.

Social learning (SL) appears to have considerable potential to enhance the impact of the ecosystem services approach (ESA) discourse on policy and society. However, empirical research to better understand the processes that support SL, the effects it generates, and the conditions that enable such learning is limited. This study assesses the ability of SL to enhance dialogue and understanding of the ESA to support transformative social change in governance practice in the Alboran Marine Basin. To do so, we conducted a specifically designed SL process oriented towards the ESA as a governance approach in this marine region. The SL process was developed through three interlinked workshops involving scientists, decision-makers and local users from Spain and Morocco, the two countries that share the governance of this social-ecological system. The results revealed that the SL process progressively facilitated (i) a more inclusive and constructive ecosystem services dialogue, (ii) a better understanding of the social-ecological system in which the actors were embedded, (iii) an enhanced recognition of science-policy-society complementarities to address sustainability issues, and (iv) a gradual social transformation towards more sustainable and equitable governance. Via the SL process, a variety of factors were identified as contributing to the creation of four relevant conditions that facilitated its successful operationalisation. These conditions included (i) the generation of trust and shared understanding, (ii) the facilitation of knowledge exchanges between actor groups across frontiers, (iii) the promotion of more democratic participation, and (iv) the co-production of practical outcomes. These contextual insights provided empirical evidence of the prominent role SL can play to enhance dialogue and understanding of the ESA for supporting its adoption as governance practice. On this basis, it is argued that operationalising SL in those processes focused on making the ESA relevant to policy and society is pivotal to its implementation in governance practice.

Understanding how to improve decision makers' use of scientific information across their different scales of management is a core challenge for narrowing the gap between science and conservation practice. Here, we present a study conducted in collaboration with decision makers that aims to explore the functionality of the mechanisms for scientific input within the institutional setting of the National Protected Area Network of Peru. First, we analyzed institutional mechanisms to assess the scientific information recorded by decision makers. Second, we developed two workshops involving scientists, decision makers and social actors to identify barriers to evidence-based conservation practice. Third, we administered 482 questionnaires to stakeholders to explore social perceptions of the role of science and the willingness to collaborate in the governance of protected areas. The results revealed that (1) the institutional mechanisms did not effectively promote the compilation and application of scientific knowledge for conservation practice; (2) six important barriers hindered scientific input in management decisions; and (3) stakeholders showed positive perceptions about the involvement of scientists in protected areas and expressed their willingness to collaborate in conservation practice. This collaborative research helped to (1) identify gaps and opportunities that should be addressed for increasing the effectiveness of the institutional mechanisms and (2) support institutional changes integrating science-based strategies for strengthening scientific input in decision-making. These insights provide a useful contextual orientation for scholars and decision makers interested in conducting empirical research to connect scientific inputs with operational aspects of the management cycle in other institutional settings around the world.

Spatial distribution predicted for the European badger by the global model. Global model predictions and specificity of EVI-models. (DOCX)

Differences of intensity and Hellinger distance. Normalized differences of intensity and Hellinger distance forecasted by Climate-models and EVI-models. (DOCX)

GLMs for EVI-derived variables. Summary of the GLMs for EVIMEAN and EVICV variables. (DOCX)

As climate change is expected to have a significant impact on species distributions, there is an urgent challenge to provide reliable information to guide conservation biodiversity policies. In addressing this challenge, we propose a remote sensing-based approach to forecast the future habitat quality for European badger, a species not abundant and at risk of local extinction in the arid environments of southeastern Spain, by incorporating environmental variables related with the ecosystem functioning and correlated with climate and land use. Using ensemble prediction methods, we designed global spatial distribution models for the distribution range of badger using presence-only data and climate variables. Then, we constructed regional models for an arid region in the southeast Spain using EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) derived variables and weighting the pseudo-absences with the global model projections applied to this region. Finally, we forecast the badger potential spatial distribution in the time period 2071–2099 based on IPCC scenarios incorporating the uncertainty derived from the predicted values of EVI-derived variables. By including remotely sensed descriptors of the temporal dynamics and spatial patterns of ecosystem functioning into spatial distribution models, results suggest that future forecast is less favorable for European badgers than not including them. In addition, change in spatial pattern of habitat suitability may become higher than when forecasts are based just on climate variables. Since the validity of future forecast only based on climate variables is currently questioned, conservation policies supported by such information could have a biased vision and overestimate or underestimate the potential changes in species distribution derived from climate change. The incorporation of ecosystem functional attributes derived from remote sensing in the modeling of future forecast may contribute to the improvement of the detection of ecological responses under climate change scenarios.

Land cover-land use change maps. Simulated land cover and land use change scenarios. (DOCX)