Ambiente e Sustentabilidade | Artigos em revistas internacionais / Papers in international journals
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- Unveiling the plurality of visions for the ecological transition in EuropePublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Freitas, Helenaemphasising how differing values, economic interests, cultural models, and social positions influence perceptions of transition. The widespread dissemination of this concept without considering different viewpoints and limitations may undermine collective efforts to achieve it. For this purpose, we conducted 45 interviews with politicians, scientists, non-governmental organisations, representatives from economic groups, and citizens in the context of the H2020 European project "PHOENIX". The results demonstrate the diversity of perspectives on ecological transition and show that pro-ecological actions are heavily influenced by institutional, political, and financial frameworks rather than being solely personal preferences. The lack of support from institutions that serve as role models in this ecological transition undermined community attempts to achieve it, as well as the apparent contradiction between comfort and living a more frugal lifestyle. To successfully engage people in this transition, it is vital to push for legislation that prioritises environmental goals over corporate profit, promotes engagement with nature from a young age, and overcomes financial barriers by offering incentives and support for sustainable choices. We argue that in order to move beyond a technocratic approach and towards an inclusive and socio-politically engaging transition, future policies must recognise and overcome these structural constraints.
- Recognising and valuing the cultural significance of biodiversity in coastal marine territories through plural knowledges systems: advancing the mission of the intercultural University of the PeoplesPublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Rosa, Rosário; Freitas, Helena; Castro, HermanoContemporary societies are rich in social, cultural, epistemological, and biophysical diversity, occupying territories that call for recognition and a voice. This recognition is crucial for understanding the social, cultural, and political factors that drive environmental degradation and exacerbate climate change impacts. The Intercultural University of Peoples (IUP) is in the process of being established in Brazil to address this need, leading to the development of the action research project "Promoting the Cultural Value of Biodiversity and Sustainability in Coastal Marine Territories". This project emphasises the value of socio-biodiversity through local knowledges, especially that of traditional communities. Our goal is to develop tailored policies and programmes that support sustainability, health, and the rights of traditional communities, while aligning with IUP’s mission. A key part of our approach is fostering a participatory ethos in coastal communities to drive sociobiodiversity conservation and climate action. Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to sustainable development grounded in the values and knowledges of local populations and to further the mission of IUP.
- Plural nature(s): an overview of their sociocultural constructionPublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo GuedesThe social construction of nature aims to emphasise that the concept of nature has multiple meanings that vary in different socio-cultural contexts. This underlines the multiple ways in which both structures and individuals understand, explain, and engage with nature and the environment. Consequently, nature and cultures/societies are not separate entities, but are intertwined in complex and interdependent relationships. Therefore, nature is the result of human perceptions and social practices. The way we interact with, perceive, interpret, and value nature is influenced by a given society’s history and sociocultural factors. This intimate relationship is closely linked to powerknowledge and influence relations. Those with more power can impose a particular vision of, and relationship with, nature, resulting in inequalities and potentially harmful relations that can explain the environmental degradation that the contemporary world faces globally, despite its expression in particular contexts, thus configuring plural natures.
- Combining novel membrane technologies for sustainable nutrient recovery from digestate: effect of solid contentPublication . Riaño, Berta; Oliveira, Verónica; Ferreira, Célia; Molinuevo-Salces, Beatriz; García-González, Maria CruzNutrient recovery from anaerobic digestate has gained increasing importance in recent years due to its potential to reduce resource dependency and to close nutrient cycles. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of a previous solid–liquid separation phase on nutrient recovery efficiency using two innovative membrane technologies, namely, gas-permeable membranes (GPM) and electrodialytic (ED) processes, applied individually or in combination. The obtained results were compared with those obtained through the centrifugation of the raw digestate and direct chemical precipitation followed by centrifugation in terms of the efficiency in the recovery of N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorous). A total of nine scenarios of digestate processing were compared. GPM technology allowed for the recovery of 65% of the N content in the raw digestate (41.5 g total solids (TS) kg−1) and 67% of N in the liquid fraction (28.0 g TS kg−1), without any significant difference between the two scenarios. However, the results revealed significant differences in the Precovery with ED from the raw digestate (15%) and the liquid fraction (34%), suggesting that phosphorous extraction can be improved by the application of a prior solid–liquid phase. The recovery of N with the GPM technology also enhanced the further recovery of total P with the ED processes. Furthermore, the combination of these technologies allowed for the recovery of N- and P-rich solutions, which were used to precipitate secondary struvite with an efficiency of up to 85%. This research provides a practical framework for sustainable nutrient management, advancing solutions for resource efficiency and environmental stewardship.
- Understanding the deep structure of the Essaouira basin using gravity data: hydrogeological inferences for a semiarid region in central-western MoroccoPublication . Khouz, Abdellah; Jaffal, Mohammed; Trindade, Jorge; Bougadir, Blaid; El Bchari, Fatima; Kchikach, Azzouz; Mustapha, El Ghorfi; Ibouh, Hassan; Jadoud, Mourad; Kadiri, Omar; Manar, AhmedThe Essaouira Basin, located in central western Morocco, faces a significant threat of water shortage due to both the substantially reduced rainfall caused by climate change and the continuously increasing demand for this essential resource. Groundwater resources are being increasingly exploited to meet the needs of the population, whether for agricultural or domestic purposes. Therefore, it has become necessary to intensify investigations across the entire basin, particularly through indirect methods such as geophysical techniques, to accurately delineate the productive zones. In this context, the present study was undertaken to investigate the deep structure of this basin with the aim of comprehending the functioning of its aquifer system. This study is based on the interpretation of gravity data covering the Essaouira Basin. In addition to their qualitative analysis, these data underwent a methodological approach involving transformations to extract meaningful insights. The observed anomalies were interpreted in terms of (i) thickness variations within the slightly folded sedimentary series of the basin; (ii) Paleozoic basement topography; and (iii) the presence of salt deposits. In fact, among the negative anomalies, some coincide with evaporitic deposits that are known either from the geological outcrops or the seismic surveys carried out in the Essaouira Basin within the framework of petroleum exploration programs, while others coincide with areas of increased thickness of sedimentary sequences. The latter include synclines and basement depressions, where the accumulation of groundwater tends to occur; as a result, they constitute suitable zones for the drilling of water extraction wells. Groundwater flows observed in some existing wells are consistent with this hypothesis. The results of the contact analysis approach implemented within the framework of the study reveals the Essaouira Basin is affected by a fault network whose main direction is parallel to the Atlantic margin (i.e., NNE–SSW). This implies that the extensional tectonic phase responsible for initiating the rifting of the Central Atlantic in the Triassic era has primarily impacted the structural configuration of this basin. This study demonstrates the strong potential of the gravity method as a tool to delineate the deep structure of sedimentary basins and to identify potentially productive groundwater zones. The final results will provide important support to decision makers in sustainable groundwater management, especially in vulnerable areas.
- Sustainable land use: policy implications of systematic land regularization in MozambiquePublication . Carrilho, João; Dgedge, Gustavo; Santos, Pedro Pinto; Trindade, JorgeSecurity of land tenure is key to achieve the sustainable development goal of eradicating poverty and can be improved through the regularization of rights to land, property, and natural resources. Making cities and human settlements sustainable, requires participatory and integrated land use planning, accounting for the land’s potential and constraints, with a view to medium and long-term use. The government of Mozambique is actively promoting a process of massive regularization, under common terms of reference for service providers. The terms of reference also intend to achieve a linkage between regularization and community land use plans. The aim of this research is to assess the robustness of such plans to detect and overcome potential conflicts between the given and the potential land use, as well as constraints, weaknesses and threats. This research uses a mixed documental analysis to undertake an ex-ante assessment of 15 participatory community land use plans. Five categories are assumed as a reference of good practices in land use planning suggested by universal and African literature. It was found that the common terms of reference and guidelines promote participatory capacity and provides general directions of community development. However, good practices of land use planning such as effective participation in all phases, alternative scenarios for future land use, regional integration, and disasters risk management are less promoted. It is suggested that the guidelines go beyond the immediate needs of land register, to consider that such interventions in rural areas shape the culture of land use, which, in turn, will influence sustainability in higher level settlements.
- Methodology for sea level rise hazard assessment in the exposed coastal zone of the Portuguese mainlandPublication . Trindade, Jorge; Reis, Eusébio; Rocha, Jorge; Santos, Pedro Pinto; Garcia, Ricardo; Oliveira, Sérgio; Silva, Andreia; Pinheiro, Samuel; Cuervas-Mons, JoseFuture scenarios of sea level rise in Portugal are expected to put at risk sensitive areas from a natural and urban point of view. This research proposes a methodology for the assessment of sea level rise Hazard zones using the evaluation of permanent and episodic components as important factors to predict flooding and coastal erosion hazards for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 1, 2 and 5 scenarios, in 2040, 2070 and 2100.
- Flood susceptibility assessment through statistical models and HEC-RAS analysis for sustainable management in essaouira province, MoroccoPublication . Khouz, Abdellah; Trindade, Jorge; Santos, Pedro Pinto; Oliveira, Sérgio; Bchari, Fatima El; Bougadir, Blaid; Garcia, Ricardo; Reis, Eusébio; Jadoud, Mourad; Saouabe, Tarik; Rachidi, SaidFloods are natural disasters that often impact communities living in low-lying areas in the northern and central parts of Morocco. In this study, our aim was to create a flood susceptibility map using three methods; the hierarchy process (AHP) frequency ratio model (FR) and the weights of evidence (WoE) model. We extensively examined the area identified by these approaches using a hydraulic analysis software called HEC-RAS (version 6.3.1). Our analysis focused on the Essaouira watersheds in Morocco, where we identified around 197 flood locations. Out of these, we randomly selected 70% for modeling purposes while the remaining 30% were used for validation. Ten factors that influence floods were considered, such as slope, elevation, proximity to rivers, drainage density, stream order, land use patterns, rainfall data, lithology (permeability level) index (TWI), and curvature. We obtained these factors from data sources. Finally, we generated a flood susceptibility map and evaluated its accuracy by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). The validation results confirmed that all three models were robust and effective with an AUC of 90. Moreover, the research uncovered a trend of vulnerability with the most susceptible area being in close proximity to the city of Essaouira along the Oued Ksob. A detailed analysis using HEC-RAS was conducted at this identified location, pinpointing the village of Diabat as highly exposed. These findings hold significance for flood management, empowering decision makers, scholars, and urban planners to make informed choices and implement strategies that can minimize the impact of floods in susceptible regions while minimizing potential damages.
- Fostering refugia amid unfolding extinctionsPublication . Aldeia, JoãoAccording to Anna Tsing, Holocene resurgence, the multispecies work carried on to enable life among disturbance, and the ability to foster refugia where the living can recover from damage are crucial to oppose modern capitalogenic extinctions. I expand on this argument by looking at the geo-historical role that refugia have played (and perhaps can still play) during the Quaternary in nurturing the lives of survivors amid unfolding extinctions. Refugia have fostered multispecies life in harsh climatic and ecological times, which enabled individuals of different species to carry on the work of resurgence, because they have functioned as homes for refugees, allowing them in to recover from the hardships of the outside world for a (geo-historically long) while before they again went into the world when external conditions became more amenable. If this capacity of refugia to nurture life can be fostered, such sites might be important pieces in a political ecological strategy aiming to oppose the waste of life brought about by contemporary extinctions.
- Life’s potentiality as multispecies giftPublication . Aldeia, JoãoContemporary political ecological problems reduce possibilities for future human and non-human life. These problems are the result of modern capitalist humans’ attempt to break away from multispecies bonds and turn non-humans into resources to be appropriated. These bonds are crucial for the continued generation of life, which can only result from intergenerational and inter- species shared time, effort, and energy. By expanding the works of Mauss’ intellectual heirs and Levinas towards multispecies interactions, this gift of life can be better understood. Life received by newborn humans entangles them in a multispecies gift cycle that obligates them to reciprocate the gift of life’s potentiality. This requires acknowledging humans’ ethical responsibilities for all others, human and non-human, currently alive or potentially born in the future. In turn, this responsibility can only unfold as political ecologically sustainable actions that keep multispecies communities healthy enough to keep giving life’s potentiality to future generations.