Browsing by Author "Gelcich, S."

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    A Review on Coastal Urban Ecology: Research Gaps, Challenges, and Needs
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Graells, G.; Marquet, P.A.; Pliscoff, P.; Gelcich, S.; Lagos, N.A.; Nakamura, N.; Celis-Diez, J.L.
    © Copyright © 2021 Graells, Nakamura, Celis-Diez, Lagos, Marquet, Pliscoff and Gelcich.Coastal urban areas have dramatically increased during the last decades, however, coastal research integrating the impacts and challenges facing urban areas is still scarce. To examine research advances and critical gaps, a review of the literature on coastal urban ecology was performed. Articles were selected following a structured decision tree and data were classified into study disciplines, approaches, type of analysis, main research objectives, and Pickett's paradigms in-, of-, and for- the city, among other categories. From a total of 237 publications, results show that most of the research comes from the USA, China, and Australia, and has been carried out mostly in large cities with populations between 1 and 5 million people. Focus has been placed on ecological studies, spatial and quantitative analysis and pollution in coastal urban areas. Most of the studies on urban ecology in coastal zones were developed at nearshore terrestrial environments and only 22.36% included the marine ecosystem. Urban ecological studies in coastal areas have mainly been carried out under the paradigm in the city with a focus on the disciplines of biology and ecology. Results suggest a series of disciplinary, geographical, and approach biases which can present a number of risks. Foremost among these is a lack of knowledge on social dimensions which can impact on sustainability. A key risk relates to the fact that lessons and recommendations of research are mainly from developed countries and large cities which might have different institutional, planning and cultural settings compared to developing and mid-income countries. Scientific research on coastal urban areas needs to diversify toward an ecology of and for the cities, in order to support coastal development in a diversity of countries and settings.
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    A systematic evidence map of conservation knowledge in Chilean Patagonia
    (Blackwell Publishing Inc., 2022) Martinez-Harms, M.J.; Gelcich, S.; Nahuelhual, L.; Armesto, J.J.; Castilla, J.C.; Fernandez, M.; Marquet, P.A.; Pliscoff, P.; Astorga, A.; Daneri, G.; Reid, B.; Aylwin, J.; Buschmann, A.H.; Castro, V.; Fuentes-Castillo, T.; Gonzalez, H.E.; Hucke-Gaete, R.; Morello, F.; Rozzi, R.; Guala, C.; Tecklin, D.
    © 2021 The Authors. Conservation Science and Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.Mechanisms that reliably and efficiently guide practitioners to find relevant evidence are urgent for conservation decision-making in Chilean Patagonia. The objective of this study was to systematically collect, characterize, and synthesize the extensive evidence about conservation knowledge in Chilean Patagonia focusing on the impacts of global change drivers on ecosystems and human–nature relationships, identifying knowledge gaps, and providing policy recommendations. The quality of the evidence was assessed through a predefined level-of-evidence hierarchy scale, applied to a sample of the studies reviewed. We compiled ~1000 studies documenting that evidence focusing on terrestrial and marine ecosystems has grown exponentially. For terrestrial ecosystems, most studies have addressed climate change, habitat change, and invasive species; while for marine ecosystems, studies have focused on pollution, invasive species, and habitat change. We identified that an important gap is the study of the social dimensions of conservation, and future efforts should focus on incorporating traditional and local knowledge as this can help point the way to ecosystem conservation. The appraisal of the quality of the evidence showed that ~80% of the sample represented reliable evidence with underlying data and an experimental design. Enhanced efforts to deliver this evidence to decision-makers in a user-friendly format for evidence uptake in conservation policy are urgent. In this review, we provide a tool that can help practitioners to find evidence reliably to improve decision-making for the conservation of ecosystems in Chilean Patagonia.
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    Emerging energy sources' social acceptability: Evidence from marine-based energy projects
    (2024) Oliva, R. D. Ponce; Estay, M.; Barrientos, M.; Estevez, R. A.; Gelcich, S.; Vasquez-Lavin, F.
    Any decrease in global warming and its effects can only occur with a substantial reduction in anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In this context, renewable energy sources, particularly emerging sources, may play a central role in accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources. Emerging energy sources are renewable and have the potential to reduce global warming emissions; however, they are in the early development stages. These technologies include enhanced geothermal processes, artificial photosynthesis, and marine energy. In this study, we assess the main attributes that determine the social acceptance of renewable marine energy projects, highlighting individual preferences and heterogeneity for these projects. The results show that energy generation, ecological impact, job creation, co-ownership, and distributional justice are statistically significant attributes that support projects. However, individual preferences are highly heterogeneous. The existence of distinct classes (two in this case) with different preferences for marine energy attributes indicates that the one-size-fits-all approach may be inappropriate. Instead, policymakers and energy producers should tailor their proposals to meet the needs of both groups, considering their preferences and concerns.
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    Integrating stakeholder perceptions and preferences on ecosystem services in the management of coastal areas
    (2017) de Juan, S.; Gelcich, S.; Fernandez, M.
    The consideration of stakeholders' perceptions and preferences on different ecosystem services, identifying potential conflict areas, is essential for operationalizing integrated management plans. In the central coast of Chile, several traditional fishing resources are overexploited and conflicts between users might arise with the increasing demand of both traditional and new uses. The principal groups of users in coastal areas were characterized in order to generate information that advances towards integrative approaches in the region. Face-to-face surveys to fishermen, tourists and permanent residents were conducted in six coastal sites to identify what these groups value the most, assessing at the same time if differences in perceptions and use might suggest future conflicts between users associated to coastal planning. Participants had to prioritize a list of coastal attributes associated with ecosystem services. Results show variability in prioritization of coastal attributes amongst groups of users, however, variability across sites was low. Fishermen showed a tight economic and cultural dependency on provisioning services; however, their general perception was of decreasing catches and a shift to less valued resources and habitat structuring species as traditional ecosystem services deteriorate. Tourists and residents had the most homogenous perceptions, and agreed on the prioritization of intangible services, such as the quietness and scenery of the coast. Nevertheless, deterioration of the environment was perceived as relevant by the inhabitants of the study area, reflecting a potential conflict between the current increase in tourist influx and resource demand. Therefore, increasing recreational use needs to be managed, ensuring the resilience of the traditional fisheries and adopting effective actions that should encompass wider ecosystem objectives. However, the real challenge for integrated management is the incorporation of intangible values in conservation objectives. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.