ABSTRACT :

ABSTRACT : In a context of agroecological transition, the study of biological diversity and its functions, as well as ways to increase and manage them, are key aspects to take into account in the design of sustainable agroecosystems. This project aims to evaluate the floristic and functional diversity of spontaneous vegetation (SV) in an field under agroecological transition, analyze its link with potential ecosystem services and offer management proposals in accordance with the principles of agroecology. The project will be developed within the framework of the UDAB (Balcarce Agroecological Demonstration Unit) located at INTA Balcarce. Floristic sampling of the SV will be carried out in plots with conventional management, in agroecological transitions (service crops and corn crops) and on terraces associated with the plots. Functional characters of the vegetation associated with its invasive potential, its potential beekeeping value, and its ability to provide habitat for birds will be defined. The studies will be complemented with sampling of the seed bank, the pollinator community and the bird community in the different environments. Through the functional approach we hope to achieve a deep understanding of the ecological processes underlying the conservation of the environment and its social implications in systems in agroecological transition

ABSTRACT : SOILGUARD´s goal is to promote the sustainable use of soil biodiversity to protect soil multifunctionality and increase economic, social and environmental well-being. This will be achieved by co-creating strong evidence of the links between soil management, its biodiversity and multifunctionality, and human well-being across biogeographical regions. This evidence will be obtained through a holistic and innovative biodiversity and soil wellbeing framework. SOILGUARD will assess the state of soil biodiversity and its contribution to the provision and value of ecosystem services (ES) provided by the soil, in relation to existing threats, i.e. land degradation, unsustainable land management soil and climate change. The evidence will be used to: i) quantify the environmental, economic, and social benefits of SSM and soil biodiversity, ii) increase the ability to forecast soil biodiversity responses to ongoing and projected challenges, and cascading effects on soil-provided ES and human well-being, iii) inform national, EU and global conservation and regulatory bodies, iv) incorporate and support the implementation of SSM practices.

ABSTRACT : The management of land cover and the maintenance of non-cultivated areas with spontaneous vegetation on riparian areas, roadsides, field margins and terraces, called here linear elements (LE) of the landscape, constitute two fundamental practices to balance and increase the provision of ES in rural landscapes. The effects that arise from the combination of the use of service crops (SC) and the conservation of LE (understood here as its maintenance with a low level of physical and/or chemical disturbances), and which are expressed at the landscape scale, have been scarcely evaluated, both in the southeast of Buenos Aires and globally. The general objective of this project is to evaluate the benefits derived from the use of SC and the conservation of LE, incorporating its effects at the landscape scale (lateral flows and emergent properties), and to explore the attitude of farmers to carry out these practices and the acceptability of instruments to promote them. The results of this work will be useful to design and promote specific instruments that are both effective in ecological terms and acceptable in social terms within the study area.

ABSTRACT : The general objective of this project is to develop a model that simulates the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM) considering the processes that regulate the formation and mineralization of SOM fractions that are easily measurable. SOM affects almost all the properties of the soil related to its functioning in the ecosystem, such as fertility, physical properties, infiltration, water retention capacity and gas exchange. Therefore, the development of strategies that contribute to the mitigation of climate change and the choice of management practices for sustainable land use depends, to a large extent, on our ability to understand and predict the SOM dynamics. Understanding the SOM composition and formation has been a huge challenge that continues today. Recently, new technologies (e.g. nuclear magnetic resonance and isotopic analysis) generated results that substantially changed our conceptualization of SOM dynamics. For example, the existence of humic substances could not be verified by direct measurements in the soil by spectroscopy and, contrary to expectations, the largest proportion of SOM is made up of very simple organic molecules. These simple compounds with a high content of nitrogen make up the organic matter associated with minerals (MOAM); while the remains of vegetables and mesofauna make up the particulate organic matter (POM). These SOM fractions that are distinguished by their structure, function, and residence time in the soil can be separated according to their particle size. In turn, the use of stable carbon (13C) isotopes allows us to explain if the changes in the SOM contents are due to the increase in POM or MOAM inflows, or to the reduction of mineralization outflows in some of the fractions. That is why it is essential to incorporate these processes into the simulation models of the SOM so that they serve as support tools in decision-making on sustainable land use.

ABSTRACT : When it comes to conserving nature in a given territory, interaction and coordination between academic professionals (researchers, managers, extension agents) and their research lines and action are important. This project was originated with the intention of evaluating the level of academic interaction on conservation issues in the Tandilia system, in particular, with respect to sierra grasslands. In this context, it is expected to generate a conceptual model that includes and detects the level of connectivity within and between: i) the ecological system (conservation status and connectivity of sierras and other uncultivated environments and its relationship with the agricultural and urban matrix of the landscape); and ii) the social system, especially involving decision makers and academia. As part of this process, the Tandilia Network is being created, a space that, among others aspects, calls and commits the interaction of knowledge and experiences, promotes prioritizing key issues for conservation within the territory of Tandilia, and represents a communication channel to reduce the gap between academia-society in general on issues of nature, environment and conservation.

ABSTRACT : Land degradation is a widespread problem on a global scale and has been singled out by the UN as one of the most important aspects of global change facing humanity. In Argentina, degradation is linked to a lack of planning and inappropriate livestock and agricultural practices and is manifested in all regions of the country. To deal with this problem, the UN approved in 2015 the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among its goals it promotes the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, the fight against desertification, urging to stop and reverse degradation and curb the loss of biological diversity and seek to achieve a world with neutral land degradation (NLD) by 2030. Although in Argentina there is information on trends in degradation in different regions and on management guidelines and techniques at different scales, this information is in many cases insufficient and ambiguous and in some regions non-existent, partial or out of date. To contribute to the solution of this problem, the project proposes to develop and implement a national monitoring system of degradation with goals in the NLD and its recovery, adapted to different scales and contexts, that serve as input in sustainable territorial planning and for informing the conventions subscribed by Argentina. To achieve this purpose, the following research lines are proposed: 1) Design and implementation of a degradation monitoring system on a national scale for three types of land (forests, agricultural land and natural grasslands), 2) Complement the monitoring system at the national level by adding specific indicators that provide the particularities of each type of land in each region and socio-productive context. 3) Design and implementation of a degradation monitoring system at supra-predial and local/predial scale where we are applying recommended land management practices to evaluate its effectiveness. 4) Promote dissemination, intra and inter-institutional coordination and training, interacting with intervention processes in the territory that implement the best practices for land conservation.

ABSTRACT : This project proposes to contribute to making the conservation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services compatible with agricultural and forestry production, by identifying standardized, validated and agreed indicators to assess biodiversity in production systems, and also the evaluation of the effectiveness of existing strategies of conservation. Likewise, to deal with the socio-environmental conflicts with wildlife, an integrative approach will be worked on, considering the complexity of dimensions and actors, seeking through technological innovations, through multiple spaces for dialogue, followed by training of human resources in the implementation of technologies. Through a management team of experts in the subject and the link with key actors of the territories (Farmers, Industries, Universities, State Organizations and NGOs), the project will contribute and put into practice existing and new knowledge with a systemic vision at different spatial scales of the agroecosystems of our country, collaborating with processes of reversal of loss and degradation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services, as well as with the fulfillment of multiple conventions, legislation and national and international agreements by the State.

ABSTRACT : The process of agricultural intensification and expansion that took place in recent decades in Argentina, explained by the growing demand for food and the emergence of technological innovations such as no-till sowing and transgenic crops, meant significant increases in terms of gross product and exportable balances. However, this process brought about undesirable effects such as landscape homogenization due to the removal and cultivation of marginal environments, biodiversity loss, and surface and groundwater contamination, among others. In this way, a scenario was generated in which agroecosystems were oriented towards the provision of a few ecosystem services (provision of food, fiber and fuel) to the detriment of others, such as soil protection, regulation and purification of water and sanitation, and habitat provision for wildlife. Under this context, it is necessary to generate planning alternatives that aim to improve the sustainability of rural development. The ecosystem services (ES) approach emerges as a suitable tool for this objective since it allows linking decisions, drivers of change, ecosystems and human well-being. In rural landscapes there are certain fragments that, due to their environmental conditions, are not "so attractive" for agriculture (e.g., flood-prone, alkaline-saline soils). But from an ecological point of view they are key to the supply of some ES. This makes them strategic elements for planning since their conservation and improvement could increase the supply of ES without competing with agricultural production. Riparian environments are a clear example of this situation since they usually have low-productive soils but ecosystems with great functional value due to their ability to reduce runoff water flows, retain sediments, nitrogen, phosphorus and certain pesticides, provide refuges for wildlife and increase landscape connectivity. The general objective of this project is to evaluate the role of riparian environments in the provision of the ecosystem service of water purification and to generate management proposals to conserve and improve their provision in a basin in southeastern Buenos Aires.

ABSTRACT : The general objective of this project is to contribute to the understanding of the complex life cycle of Neospora canimun in the Mar y Sierras milk basin, province of Buenos Aires, based on the determination of the eco-epidemiological role of the Pampas gray fox (L. gymnocercus) and dog (Canis familiaris) in horizontal transmission of neosporosis in dairy cattle. At the end of this project, it is expected to have greater knowledge of this parasite in the Mar y Sierras dairy basin, since it is one of the dairy areas with the greatest economic losses due to this disease in the Pampean region. Likewise, we hope to have more information on the horizontal transmission of this disease, which will be very useful to work together with dairy farmers in the design and implementation of preventive and sustainable management guidelines, that is, maintaining agricultural productivity and conserving the fauna associated with the Pampean agroecosystem.

ABSTRACT : Agricultural intensification in the pampean region generatd a scenario in which agroecosystems are oriented to the supply of few ecosystem services (food, fibre and fuel production), with a trade-off relationship with other, mainly habitat provision for wildlife and cultural ecosystem services. Rural tourism could revert this trend valuing seminatural environments and biodiversity, stimulating farmers to conserve them and generating multifunctional agroecosystems. In order to do that, we need to know how rural turists value the environment and the attitudes, social norms and exogenous factors that influence farmers` behaviour. In this work we will evaluate the driving factors to pampean rural landscape multifunctionality with interdisciplinary approaches that include ecology, economy and sociology.

ABSTRACT : The geneal goal is to generate information to sustain a platform of capabilities (social actors, organizations, equipment) to assess in a continuous way the effect of agricultural practices on the environment. In order to provide information on biodiversity status and its ecosystem services in agricultural lands and scientific grounds for their sustainable management, we will conduct the following research activities: bird status and trend assessment, as indicators of environmental health; assessment, identification and monitoring of regional flora; identification of species that favor pollination and bird species that are insect pest controllers; assessment of agricultural practices effect on birds, mammals, anphibious, insects, plants and fungi; ecological studies and technology development as a basis for the use of wild fauna (guanaco, rheas, vicunas) and flora; identification and in situ and ex situ conservation of wild plant populations with economic interest; ecological and socio-economic studies to decrease conflicts with wild fauna (crop damager birds, cattle predators, etc).

ABSTRACT : El objetivo general del proyecto es organizar un Observatorio Nacional de Sustentabilidad Rural conformado por un sistema de observatorios de sustentabilidad local (OS) en las diferentes ecorregiones del país y capas de información de síntesis de nivel regional y nacional, constituye una herramienta innovadora de monitoreo participativo basado en el empleo de indicadores para el diagnóstico y seguimiento ambiental, social y económico de áreas definidas. Los OS corresponden a la escala de los Proyectos Regionales con Enfoque Territorial (PRETs) y se espera que se constituyan en elementos de gestión estratégica para las regiones y territorios en los que se enmarquen, generando información continua sobre el territorio observado que a través de la recolección, análisis y generación de información cuantitativa y cualitativa, permitan apoyar la toma de decisiones por diferentes tipos de actores y servir como una referencia ambiental a los proyectos ejecutados por el INTA. Los objetivos específicos del proyecto son: 1. Fortalecer las capacidades existentes para la implementación de observatorios de sustentabilidad de escala nacional, regional y local. 2. Organizar y acordar protocolos de monitoreo de la sustentabilidad y alerta ambiental temprana, basados en indicadores e índices apropiados para las diferentes escalas. 3. Poner en marcha procesos participativos de monitoreo de la sustentabilidad en espacios geográficos definidos.

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ABSTRACT : Territorial planning of land use is an urgent need in southern South America. The area cultivated with soybean, and Eucalyptus and Pinus, is expanding at increasing rates in both grasslands and forests of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Territorial disputes motivated by land use changes have affected basic human rights of peasants and aboriginal people. Throughout southern South America, the costs and benefits of these land transformation for the different stakeholders are poorly characterized, and the benefits are not available to the most vulnerable social sectors. The main goal of our project is to make operational the concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) for land use planning in southern South America We will focus on landscapes of the Rio de la Plata Grasslands of Argentina and Uruguay, the dry-forests of the Gran Chaco (Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia), and the Valdivian forests of south-central Chile.

In this project, we will emphasize ecosystem aspects related to: (a) carbon dynamics (e.g. Net Primary Production, C stocks and losses, carbon released by fires); (b) water (e.g. evapotranspiration, hydrological yield and quality); (c) climate regulation; (d) trace gas (e.g. NOx) emissions; and (e) type and distribution of habitats (e.g. landscape structure and configuration). For some specific landscapes, we will also analyze the potential for recovery of ES through the restoration of ecosystems and landscapes that have been impaired or degraded.

ES supply will be evaluated in a spatially explicit manner, by describing the ecosystem processes that support ecosystem services with relative (unit-less) ES values, and based on the assessment of ES vulnerability according to ES delivery (social capture and distribution) and ecosystem recovery after agricultural replacement. For the landscapes to be selected in each of the three regions, we will develop specific ES production functions according to the characteristics of the Socio-Ecological Systems. We will characterize the past and current distribution of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) types for the landscapes to be analyzed and their regional context. An important part of the project will be the analyses of stakeholders and of the governance in each of the landscapes.

A team of 23 researchers from 9 institutions and 5 countries will merge their complementary backgrounds, generating novel insights on ES theory and on the application of the ES framework for territorial planning. The project includes an important component of capacity building through training programs oriented to both the professional sectors and to local stakeholders. The existing partnership with government agencies, NGOs, the private sector, and other stakeholders provide the basis for dissemination and application of the results of the project. At the end of the project we hope to have: a) a better understanding of the effect of functional and structural diversity of landscapes on the provision of ES, b) a comprehension of the effect of social and cultural capital on ES supply and demand in the different landscapes studied, c) impact and production functions for key intermediate and final services for the three regions under study, d) toolboxes that allow an effective integration of the ES paradigm into territorial planning and, e) a greater capacity to influence territorial planning processes through trained agents and stakeholders.

ABSTRACT : Efforts in research and management aimed at assessing, comunicating and designing measures of mitigation of social and environmental impacts of agricultural expantion in Dry Chaco have increased considerably in the last years. Eventough, to date there have not been integral and systemic assessments of these impacts at the regional scale, and there are important gaps in research oriented to the development of methodological and management tools that allow approaching the problem from an inter and transdisciplinary perspective, able to intervene in the interface between knowledge production and decision making. In response to this problem and its research gaps, the present project has the general objective of assessing how and to what extent changes in natural and socio-economic capital in the north of argentinean Dry Chaco differently affect the ecosystem services and human wellbeing of the different stakeholders, in the recent past as well as the present and under alternative future scenarios. For that end, we approach a dimension of the problem deficiently considered by science and policy until today, that refers to the social and environmental conflicts around the land tenacy, access and use in the argentinian Dry Chaco. This way, the present project aims at generating tools for the assessment of impacts and the management of conflicts that contribute to the implementation of institutional mechanisms (land-use planning, native forests management plans) that are effective in their mision of promoting environmental sustanability and social inclusion simultaneously.

ABSTRACT : In situ conservation of wild potato species is a priority. Solanum commersonii, a wild potato, is a valuable resource for the genetic improvement of cultivated potato. This species is being studied in the Paititi Natural Reserve, located in the highlands range of Mar del Plata (37 ° 55´42.7 ´´S - 57 ° 49´04´´O). The plant communities of the reserve are dominated mainly by Paspalum quadrifarium (C4 grass). The lack of proper management (grazing, cutting, fire) has a negative impact on the establishment and growth of most herbaceous species, including S. commersonii. In our study system, reducing the dominance of P. quadrifarium, through grazing and/or cutting, will enable the establishment and growth of other herbaceous species. The objective of this project is to analyze in the reserve the population dynamics of S. commersonii and the structural changes of a plant community dominated by P. quadrifarium. Frequencies of cuts compatible with the establishment and growth of plants will be applied. The structure of the plant community (coverage, accumulated biomass and height) will be related to changes in species richness. The production of pollen 2n in potato plants will be determined in order to be used in breeding programs.

ABSTRACT : The ojective of this work is to identify critical areas for the restoration of the polinization service in the southeast of Pampas region in relation to the structural and connectivity variables of the landscape, in order to evaluate the ecological restoration strategies most suitable to be implemented in each situation. Natural environments such as sierras and fences have been identified as key areas for the conservation of Pampas grasslands and the provision of ecosystem services in the agricultural landscape. However, temperate grasslands are the type of vegetation with the lowest level of protection on a global scale, as only 0.7% of its area is included within a system of areas with some protection status. Likewise, environments with ruderal vegetation, such as the roadsides and crop borders, in a fragmented landscape can act as corridors that connect the remnants of larger natural vegetation, allowing the establishment of floral visitors within the landscape and favors the pollination service. Knowledge of habitat interaction with the landscape scale and its interrelationship with the plant and animal community at the local level is important in determining the use and management of highly disturbed agricultural environments, as well as in the development of conservation and ecological restoration strategies. Similarly, it has been emphasized the need to consider restoration works at the landscape scale, both natural and cultural, to achieve a comprehensive approach to the subject. Given the importance of pollination and its sensitivity to disturbance of anthropogenic origin, maintenance of plant-animal mutual interactions through restoration ecology is relevant to ensure the rehabilitation of the pollination service in fragmented landscapes, such as the agricultural landscape of southeast Pampas. This work will allow the development of strategies for the restoration of degraded habitats and for the conservation of natural environments, considering the landscape configuration for the maintenance of biological interactions and the provision of ecosystem services. Likewise, it will contribute to the development of Geographic Information Systems (SIG) as a basis for land use planning and the sustainable use of rural Pampas.

ABSTRACT : The present work aims at providing primary information and conceptual and methodological tools that contribute to the design and implementation fo land-use plans that promote environmental sustainability and social equity argentinian Semiarid Chaco. In order to do this, we propose identifying which landscape unit characteristics are asociated to a greater potential from the biophysical point of view to maximize their multifunctionality, i.e. the joint supply of relevant ecosystem services of local relevance. On the other hand, we propose recognising which social and institutional factors would facilitate the transition towards multifunctional landscapes, given their influence over the farmers land use decisions.

ABSTRACT : In situ conservation of plant genetic resources was identified as a priority by the Convention on Biological Diversity. The advantages are: (i) it is a pool of genes for crop improvement, (ii) the populations of interest and the ecosystem are preserved, (iii) it allows to study the dynamics of populations which evolve in their environment. Solanum commersonii Dunal is a wild potato species, valued as a resource for improving potato crops due to its tolerance to biotic and abiotic factors. In grassland plains and highlands of our region it grows associated with Paspalum quadrifarium Lam. In this project we will gain knowledge of the populations of S. commersonii analyzing: (i) the phenology of plants growing in different communities of a mountain ecosystem; (ii) the structure of plant communities; (iii) the vegetative and reproductive growth of S. commersonii in presence and absence of P. quadrifarium; (iv) defoliation; (V) the phenotypic plasticity; and (vi) in the laboratory, genetic variability of individuals growing in plant communities. Knowledge about their growth and spread (georeferenced) shall be improved to establish management guidelines for in situ preservation along with the accompanying biodiversity.

ABSTRACT : The objective of the proposal is to contribute to the exchange and discussion of experiences on the comprehensive assessment of ecosystem services (ES) relevant to participan countries, including their quantification, modeling, assessment and mapping, and the vulnerability of socio-ecosystems to ES loss. Our aims are:
a) The consolidation of conceptual and methodological frameworks for evaluating ES through the exchange of experiences among the participating groups, their collaboration on the analysis of case studies, the formation of human capabilities, as well as in communicating concepts and results.
b) The inclusion of the SE approach in Latin America and the Caribbean as a basis for territorial planning and improving the quality of life of local communities, with emphasis on social sectors with greater exposure and less adaptability to processes of land-use change.

ABSTRACT : The objective of this project is to evaluate and describe the functional relationships between the composition (ecosystem types and land uses) and spatial configuration of some rural landscapes of the Pampas, Chaco and Yungas ecoregions, to its ability to provide multiple ecosystem services relevant to society. The specific objectives are: a) complete and adjust available protocols and models for functional or biophysical assessment of ecosystem services, b) characterize the composition and spatial configuration of rural landscapes of selected ecoregions under the current land uses, c) assess the individual and joint availability of ecosystem services in selected sites for different scales of observation and alternative land-use scenarios.

ABSTRACT : The specific goals of this project are:

• To analize which natural (e.g. plant productivity and water availability indicators) and antrhopic (e.g. land-use type, hunting and other anthropogenic disturbances) factors affect the distribution and abundance of study species in pampean agroecosystems by means of predictive cartographies of distribution and abundance (i.e., development of distribution and abundanceregional models).
• Determine farmer´s perception of study species and the degree of preference over different conservation and management alternatives and to evaluate psycho-social factors socio-demographic factors that could affect both perception and preferences (i.e., social percepcion study).
• Determine which are the critical areas for the conservation of these species based on the regional distribution models and the study of stakeholder´s social perception (i.e., integration model development).

ABSTRACT : Our main goal is to improve the conservation status of the RDG, by means of determining the migratory patterns and important areas for conservation throughout its annual cycle and evaluating their interactions with human activities. This includes: a) to identify migratory patterns from non-breeding to breeding areas and stopover areas, b) to assess the relative effect of environmental and human drivers on the migratory pattern and generate habitat-suitability maps at a regional scale, c) to conduct meetings (e.g. written survey or personal interviews) with different actors involved in human-wildlife conflicts in agricultural landscapes, d) to define – through habitat modeling – areas of high risk along the species distributional range where conservation measures should be prioritized.

ABSTRACT : The risk of festucosis in cattle, horses and sheep (fescue consumers), increases with the level of infection or incidence of endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum. Despite the recommendations of planting quality certified seeds this incidence is very high in the Flooding Pampa grasslands (values ​​greater than 90% infection). Infection is not transmited between plants but through seeds with viable endophytes. It has been reported that volunteer pastures free of endophyte are susceptible to reinfection by fescue plants originated from natural reseeding ("volunteers") associated with endophyte; in addition, the incidence of the fungus tends to increase with pasture age. Once the invation ocurrs, the increase in the rate of infected plants depends on soil environmental conditions (e.g. type of soil, fertility). Based on this background, we will determin the controls on the dynamics of infection of pastures with fescue endophyte. On the other hand, we will also analyze the incidence of Neotyphodium endophytes spp. in samples of commercial seeds of different species, origins and kinds of seeds, as well as samples from the Bank of Germplasm EEA -INTA Balcarce.