Browsing by Author "Diaz-Siefer, Pablo"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    From risk assessment to land planning. The case of a trace element-contaminated area in Chile
    (2024) Mondaca, Pedro; Berasaluce, Maite; Larraguibel-Gonzalez, Cristian; Salazar, Andres; Nunez-Hidalgo, Ignacio; Diaz-Siefer, Pablo
    While abundant scientific literature focuses on diagnosing contaminated areas, solutions with a scientific base are far from balanced. This is the case of the Quintero-Puchuncavi Bay, a widely known contaminated area in the central coast of Chile. Here, arsenic in soils surrounding the industrial complex has been reported as a threat to human health. However, land planning based on As contamination becomes a challenge since the whole area is identified as contaminated. Such a lack of land-planning constrains the occupation and remediation of contaminated soil leading to a brownfield-like landscape. To face this challenge, we proposed using a geospatial decision support system (S-DSS) to integrate the contamination assessment, health and ecosystem risks, and potential land uses. When characterizing soil arsenic concentration thresholds for different land uses in a S-DSS, we could categorize the land in suitable, caution, and unsuitable areas (based on human health risks). This way, we unravel areas with potential use in the current condition while also discerning caution and unsuitable categories, that can undergo extensive and intensive remediation techniques. Similarly, we took a conservational approach to estimate emerging risk from the industrial complex associated to explosions. Altogether, it highlights the potential of S-DSS to integrate different geographic information. We finally feature two APPs regarding current land-use suitability and a modeled one considering future arsenic emissions.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Residents' valuation of ecosystem services in a Mediterranean coastal dune ecosystem: The case of the Ritoque dunes in central Chile
    (2023) Diaz-Siefer, Pablo; Weishaupt, Paulina; Pozo, Rocio A.; Huenchuleo, Carlos; Guerrero-Rojas, Rodrigo; Gelcich, Stefan; Celis-Diez, Juan L.
    Coastal dunes provide a variety of cultural and ecological ecosystem services to local communities. However, most of these ecosystems are globally threatened by anthropic factors. Chile is home to important dune eco-systems such as the emblematic Ritoque coastal dunes located in the hotspot for biodiversity conservation in central Chile where there is a delicate relationship between conservation and human development interests, among local communities and authorities. Here, we performed a choice experiment study to determined will-ingness to implement conservation measures in the Ritoque dunes. In particular, we assessed residents' prefer-ences for improvements of the current state of local ecosystem services such as scenic beauty, biodiversity and archaeological sites. Residents showed preferences for improvements in Ritoque coastal dunes' ecosystem ser-vices, and a high willingness to pay for protecting biodiversity and archeological sites, rather than for recrea-tional infrastructure. Our study highlights the importance of place-based research that specifically addresses residents and stakeholders' conservation priorities, which could be used to design and implement effective conservation management strategies for coastal ecosystems and coastal cities near them.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Social-environmental conflicts in Chile: Is there any potential for an ecological constitution?
    (MDPI, 2021) Berasaluce, Maite; Diaz-Siefer, Pablo; Rodríguez-Diaz, Paulina; Mena-Carrasco, Marcelo; Ibarra Eliessetch, José Tomás; Celis-Diez, Juan L.; Mondaca, Pedro
    © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Social unrest is on the rise worldwide amid deepening inequalities, environmental degradation, and job crises worsened by increasing social-environmental conflicts. In Chile, a social revolt in 2019 resulted in a national referendum in 2020. An ample majority (78.3% vs. 21.7%) voted to draft a new constitution to replace the current constitution drawn up under dictatorship. The result led to the emergence and empowerment of several organizations demanding an “ecological constitution”. In this context, we aim to analyze: (1) the main social-environmental conflicts in Chile and how they are related to the country’s current constitution, and (2) the potential drafting of an ecological constitution that addresses these conflicts. Across different industries in Chile, we observed common problems that are intrinsically related to the current constitution. This relationship seems to be perceived by Chilean citizens since a survey carried out in May 2021 found 79% support for an ecological constitution. Moreover, 105 of the 155 delegates to the constitutional convention proposed three or more environmental principles to be included in the new constitution. A potential ecological constitution entails principles that would improve the current situation of social-environmental conflicts in Chile. Based on our analysis, we recommend the establishment of watershed-based “territorial rights” in the new Chilean constitution to improve sustainability and environmental justice.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Future of Rurality: Place Attachment among Young Inhabitants of Two Rural Communities of Mediterranean Central Chile
    (2022) Rodriguez-Diaz, Paulina; Almuna, Rocio; Marchant, Carla; Heinz, Sally; Lebuy, Roxana; Celis-Diez, Juan L.; Diaz-Siefer, Pablo
    Rural livelihoods are under threat, not only from climate change and soil erosion but also because young people in rural areas are increasingly moving to urbanized areas, seeking employment and education opportunities. In the Valparaiso region of Chile, megadrought, soil degradation, and industrialization are driving young people to leave agricultural and livestock activities. In this study, our main objective was to identify the factors influencing young people living in two rural agricultural communities (Valle Hermoso and La Vega). We conducted 90 online surveys of young people aged 13-24 to evaluate their interest in living in the countryside (ILC). We assessed the effect of community satisfaction, connectedness to nature, and social valuation of rural livelihoods on the ILC. The results show that young people were more likely to stay living in the countryside when they felt satisfied and safe in their community, felt a connection with nature, and were surrounded by people who enjoyed the countryside. These results highlight the relevance of promoting place attachment and the feeling of belonging within the rural community. Chilean rural management and local policies need to focus on rural youth and highlight the opportunities that the countryside provides for them.