Producción Científica

Migratory species are protected under international legislation; their seasonal movements across international borders may therefore present opportunities for understanding how global conservation policies translate to local-level actions across different socio-ecological contexts. Moreover, local-level management of migratory species can reveal how culture and governance affects progress towards achieving global targets. Here, we investigate potential misalignment in the two-way relationship between global-level conservation policies (i.e. hunting bans and quotas) and local-level norms, values and actions (i.e. legal and illegal hunting) in the context of waterfowl hunting in northern Kazakhstan as a case-study. Northern Kazakhstan is globally important for waterfowl and a key staging area for arctic-breeding species. Hunting is managed through licences, quotas and seasonal bans under UN-AEWA intergovernmental agreements. To better understand the local socio-ecological context of waterfowl hunting, we take a mixed-methods approach using socio-ecological surveys, informal discussions and population modelling of a focal migratory goose species to: (a) investigate motivations for hunting in relation to socio-economic factors; (b) assess knowledge of species’ protection status; and (c) predict the population size of Lesser White-fronted Geese (LWfG; Anser erythropus; IUCN Vulnerable) under different scenarios of survival rates and hunting offtake, to understand how goose population demographics interact with the local socio-ecological context. Model results showed no evidence that waterfowl hunting is motivated by financial gain; social and cultural importance were stronger factors. The majority of hunters are knowledgeable about species’ protection status; however, 11% did not know LWfG are protected, highlighting a key area for increased stakeholder engagement. Simulations of LWfG population growth over a 20-year period showed LWfG are highly vulnerable to hunting pressure even when survival rates are high. This potential impact of hunting highlights the need for effective regulation along the entire flyway; our survey results show that hunters were generally compliant with newly introduced hunting regulations, showing that effective regulation is possible on a local level. Synthesis and applications. Here, we investigate how global conservation policy and local norms interact to affect the management of a threatened migratory species, which is particularly important for the protection and sustainable management of wildlife that crosses international borders where local contexts may differ. Our study highlights that to be effective and sustainable in the long-term, global conservation policies must fully integrate local socio-economic, cultural, governance and environmental contexts, to ensure interventions are equitable across entire species’ ranges. This approach is relevant and adaptable for different contexts involving the conservation of wide-ranging and migratory species, including the 255 migratory waterfowl covered by UN-AEWA (United Nations Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds).

Addressing sustainability in small-scale gold mining (SSGM) can be controversial. In Brazil there is a heated debate over the sustainable approach in SSGM operations, especially in the Amazon biome where biodiversity conservation and indigenous peoples’ rights raise global concern. Opposing opinions about what should be “sustained” emerge from two extreme perspectives: ensuring the perpetuation of small-scale gold mining to guarantee incomes and productivity, and considering this activity as one of the major threats to Amazonian ecosystems. It is important to understand if, in the Brazilian Amazon, this debate is condemned to remain as “SSGM versus sustainability” or if it could be transformed into “SSGM and sustainability”, meaning that SSGM might embrace an understanding of sustainability that is more balanced between economic and environmental component. Therefore, this study aims at addressing the perceptions of small-scale miners (garimpeiros) themselves regarding sustainability. The research unfolds the dynamic between state impositions of environmental regulations and garimpeiros’ response by showing: i) the problematics over environmental licensing and the role of cooperatives in helping with its legal aspects, and generally promoting environmental sustainability; ii) the controversial relationship between garimpeiros and environmental law enforcement agencies; iii) how miners understand the impact of deforestation; and finally, iv) how they explore sustainability pathways with landscape impact-mitigation practices. The results show that garimpeiros’ actions point to the prolongation of their SSGM activity. Nevertheless, it is possible to see seeds of transformation towards more sustainable practices reinforced by associations, the adoption of cleaner technology and initiatives of rehabilitation of mined-out landscapes. Still, SSGM associations mostly employ the notion of sustainability as a palliative to allow their economic growth at the expense of the natural environment. This practice fuels the polarized debate over sustainability in the Amazon and exposes the extreme divergence of positions among all the actors in the arena. Moreover, the notion of sustainability is so malleable that there is a risk that scholars, institutions, and miners might interpret it in different, idiosyncratic ways to serve their particular political values, interests, desires, and visions of the future.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the socioeconomic, demographic and health management factors associated with bariatric surgery rates performed by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) in the federative units in Brazil. METHODS: Description and analysis of bariatric surgeries rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) performed by SUS in adults from 18 to 65 years old, in the 27 federative units of Brazil, between 2008 and 2018; thus, the econometric methodology of count panel with negative binomial distribution (population-averaged, fixed effects and random effects) was used. Socioeconomic and demographic factors were also investigated, considering the real gross domestic product per capita, the average years of study of adults and life expectancy at birth, and those of health management, given the primary health care coverage, the rate of digestive system surgeons and the rate of hospitals accredited in high complexity care to patients with obesity in the SUS. RESULTS: In regional terms, the performance of public bariatric surgeries in Brazil over the period analyzed suffered a great disparity; the procedures happen mostly in the South and Southeast regions, and scarcely in the North region. Moreover, we found a positive relationship between the rate of bariatric surgeries and life expectancy, the rate of digestive system surgeons and the rate of hospitals accredited in high complexity care; however, the average number of years of adult study and coverage of primary health care is a negative association regarding real gross domestic product per capita. CONCLUSION: In the period analyzed, the investigated factors explained the rate of bariatric surgeries. Therefore, to train specialized health professionals, the accreditation of hospitals according to the legal framework, preventive actions of primary care, and socioeconomic and demographic factors, conditioning for the offer of surgical treatment by the SUS were crucial. Thus, these are all relevant factors for the formulation of public policies in this area.