Hugo Rafael Fernández

Saving freshwater from salts

Ion-specific standards are needed to protect biodiversity Many human activities—like agriculture and resource extraction—are increasing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (i.e., salinity) in freshwaters. Increasing salinity can have adverse effects on human health (1); increase the costs of water treatment for human consumption; and damage infrastructure [e.g., amounting to

Saving freshwater from salts : Ion-specific standards are needed to protect biodiversity

700 million per year in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia (2)]. It can also reduce freshwater biodiversity (3); alter ecosystem functions (4); and affect economic well-being by altering ecosystem goods and services (e.g., fisheries collapse). Yet water-quality legislation and regulations that target salinity typically focus on drinking water and irrigation water, which does not automatically protect biodiversity. For example, specific electrical conductivities (a proxy for salinity) of 2 mS/cm can be acceptable for drinking and irrigation but could extirpate many freshwater insect species (3). We argue that salinity standards for specific ions and ion mixtures, not just for total salinity, should be developed and legally enforced to protect freshwater life and ecosystem services. We identify barriers to setting such standards and recommend management guidelines.

Toward a Sustainable Experience in an Intermountain Valley in Northwestern Argentina

Ion-specific standards are needed to protect biodiversity Many human activities—like agriculture and resource extraction—are increasing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (i.e., salinity) in freshwaters. Increasing salinity can have adverse effects on human health (1); increase the costs of water treatment for human consumption; and damage infrastructure [e.g., amounting to

The role of macroinvertebrates for conservation of freshwater systems

700 million per year in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia (2)]. It can also reduce freshwater biodiversity (3); alter ecosystem functions (4); and affect economic well-being by altering ecosystem goods and services (e.g., fisheries collapse). Yet water-quality legislation and regulations that target salinity typically focus on drinking water and irrigation water, which does not automatically protect biodiversity. For example, specific electrical conductivities (a proxy for salinity) of 2 mS/cm can be acceptable for drinking and irrigation but could extirpate many freshwater insect species (3). We argue that salinity standards for specific ions and ion mixtures, not just for total salinity, should be developed and legally enforced to protect freshwater life and ecosystem services. We identify barriers to setting such standards and recommend management guidelines.

WATER. Saving freshwater from salts.

Sustainable development is possible only by application of integrated environmental management or ecosystem management (1). Moreover, ‘‘sustainability’’ includes sustainable ecosystems interrelated with sustainable social and economic systems. Despite the skeptical opinions of Levin (2) and Ludwig (3), sustainability seems to be the only accepted path to the future. Meanwhile, the future of Latin America’s ecosystems, beyond global climate change, depends on acceptance of the fact that they are part of a natural and social system that requires integrated ecologic recovery/ restoration research and management (4). Consideration of new approaches that use epistemologic analysis and identification of solvable problems is a good starting point (5). The problems of local areas of tropical Andean mountains (and valleys) have traditionally been managed by professionals from a mainly social perspective. However, the problems are a complex mix of tensions related to subsistence endangered by low food production, a cultural crisis, and a threatened ecosystem. Solutions can sometimes come from outside of the analyzed system. For example, tourism in the Andean valleys can offer protection against ecosystem destruction. Ecotourism and trout fisheries have been very popular activities for many years in Andean Patagonic areas and more recently in the Ecuadorian Andes (6). Now, because of a new economic situation in Argentina, produced by a combination of globalization, currency devaluation, and environmental concerns, the prospects for ecotourism seem almost unlimited. In northwest Argentina, ecotourism is becoming a new star in the recent economic boom, especially in Salta Province, as a result of an aggressive campaign of publicity and investment in this field. Planners are focusing, for example, on national park visits, the highest railroad trip in the world, and extreme road trips. Tucumán Province (268 S) is a small (22 524 km) and densely populated (59 hab km ) neighbor to Salta Province. It is 43% mountain ranges and 57% plains with wonderful landscapes, and it has much ecotourism potential. We identified the problems (solvable ones) in one Andean valley characterized by its isolation (Fig. 1). On the basis of increased tourism activity, we developed a model to be applied as a project, including strong participation by several sectors (university, governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations [NGOs], owners, settlers, and diverse professionals) and with a consideration for financing with external funds. Specifically, this paper considers the possibility of sustaining a project in the Chaquivil Valley (Fig. 2) that will make the valley a productive intermountain area and help it achieve a sustainable tourismbased economy. Landowners are convinced of the need to implement innovative and eco-friendly practices in the region. Their decisions are based on economics and on compatibility between the actual practices in the intermountain valleys and new ecologic practices required for ecotourism. The goal we proposed is difficult, considering the complex relations between participants’ idiosyncrasies, ecosystem peculiarities, and nonexistent comparable experiences. New paradigms and montology, a new approach to mountain studies (6), are needed to make this goal achievable. The new paradigms must provide for the people’s needs, especially if they can affect the ecosystem.

Quality and Conservation of Riparian Forest in a Mountain Subtropical Basin of Argentina

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Argentinian‐protected areas have been established mainly to protect vertebrates and plants in terrestrial ecosystems. In order to create a comprehensive biodiverse conservation plan, it is crucial to integrate both aquatic and terrestrial systems and to include macroinvertebrates. Here, we address this topic by proposing priority areas of conservation including invertebrates, aquatic ecosystems, and their connectivity and land uses. Location: Northwest of Argentina. We modeled the ecological niches of different taxa of macroinvertebrates such as Coleoptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Megaloptera, Lepidoptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Acari, and Mollusca. Based on these models, we analyzed the contribution of currently established protected areas in the conservation of the aquatic biodiversity and we propose a spatial prioritization taking into account possible conflict regarding different land uses. Our analysis units were the real watersheds, to which were added longitudinal connectivity up and down the rivers. A total of 132 species were modeled in the priority area analyses. The analysis 1 showed that only an insignificant percentage of the macroinvertebrates distribution is within the protected areas in the North West of Argentina. The analyses 2 and 3 recovered similar values of protection for the macroinvertebrate species. The upper part of Bermejo, Salí‐Dulce, San Francisco, and the Upper part of Juramento basins were identified as priority areas of conservation. The aquatic ecosystems need special protection and 10% or even as much as 17% of land conservation is insufficient for species of macroinvertebrates. In turn the protected areas need to combine the aquatic and terrestrial systems and need to include macroinvertebrates as a key group to sustain the biodiversity. In many cases, the land uses are in conflict with the conservation of biodiversity; however, it is possible to apply the connectivity of the watersheds and create multiple‐use modules.

Hidracaridos (Acari, Hydrachnidia) de la cuenca Andina del río Beni, Bolivia

Ion-specific standards are needed to protect biodiversity Many human activities—like agriculture and resource extraction—are increasing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (i.e., salinity) in freshwaters. Increasing salinity can have adverse effects on human health (1); increase the costs of water treatment for human consumption; and damage infrastructure [e.g., amounting to

Primer hallazgo de tubophorella viets (Limnesiidae, Parasitengona, acari) en sud América: T. multiacetabulata n. sp. del arroyo Tafi, província de Tucumán, Argentina

700 million per year in the Border Rivers catchment, Australia (2)]. It can also reduce freshwater biodiversity (3); alter ecosystem functions (4); and affect economic well-being by altering ecosystem goods and services (e.g., fisheries collapse). Yet water-quality legislation and regulations that target salinity typically focus on drinking water and irrigation water, which does not automatically protect biodiversity. For example, specific electrical conductivities (a proxy for salinity) of 2 mS/cm can be acceptable for drinking and irrigation but could extirpate many freshwater insect species (3). We argue that salinity standards for specific ions and ion mixtures, not just for total salinity, should be developed and legally enforced to protect freshwater life and ecosystem services. We identify barriers to setting such standards and recommend management guidelines.

La diversidad del zoobentos en ríos de montaña del noroeste de Argentina: comparación entre seis ríos

The aims of this work were to describe the conservation status of riparian forests located in a mountain subtropical basin of Tucuman province, Argentina, and assess how the quality of riparian forests is related with altitude, plant species richness, proportion of exotic species, and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) in adjacent rivers. Composition and species richness of riparian forests were studied at 16 sites located along an altitudinal gradient and TSS was determined from water samples collected in each site. In order to evaluate conservation status of riparian forests, we calculated an index of Quality of Yungas Riparian Forests (QBRy). We recorded 90 plant species at all sites, from which 77% were native. QBRy index was mainly associated with altitude and varied from riparian forests with good preservation or slightly disturbed to those with extreme degradation. At lower altitude, forests were more disturbed, more invaded by exotic plant species, and closer to urban and cropped areas. QBRy was not correlated with species richness or TSS. Like other riparian forests of Argentina, plant species invasion increased their degradation; therefore, future studies should focus on native riparian forests conservation and on the management of invasive plant species, which affect their quality.

Elenco y biogeografía de los ácaros acuáticos (Acari, Parasitengona, Hydrachnidia) de Sudamérica

Water mites from Andean part of the Bolivian Amazonian rivers were examined. A new species is described, Limnesia aymara. New records and redescription are made for Hygrobatella multiacetabulata Cook,1980, Atractides brasiliensis (Lundblad, 1937) and Krendowskia convexa (Ribaga, 1902). A new subgenus Schwoerbelobatella for hygrobatelids poliacetabulated is proposed and characterized. Ecological characteristics of the river area sampled and ecological preferences of the analyzed species are discussed.