Theme 7-1: Capacity, Institutions and Innovations for Sustainable Development--Oral Sessions

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Global efforts towards sustainable cattle ranching should be based on comprehensive approaches, targeting physical variables of the ranching process, as well as, the socioeconomic dimensions. Alianza del Pastizal is a non-profit conservation organization that works to preserve the temperate grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America by promoting conservation practices among ranching communities in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Alianza has become a mediator for ranchers exchanging information, resources, and education. Ranchers associated with the Alliance take pride in their property management as they aim to improve the community wellbeing and natural resource sustainability. In a previous study, producers from the four countries in the Alliance engaged in focus groups and participatory workshops where they identified water cycle regulation and water quality, as the most important ecosystem services provided by natural grasslands on their properties. With this information, our ultimate goal is to determine if the producers actual land use management activities align with the importance they placed on water. For this purpose, we chose the properties located in the floodplain of the Queguay River, northwestern Uruguay. We used a Google Earth Engine platform to inventory the vegetation types and corresponding Water Use Efficiency (WUE) values per vegetation type in the Colonia Juan Gutierrez. Our results indicate the presence of various vegetation types in the Colonia properties, which follow the seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns of the region, and display variability in WUE values. We plan to carry out the same analysis in the Rincon de Perez conservation area, and the managed forests west of the Colonia. Ultimately, we plan to compare these results to properties that do not subscribe to the Alianza’s ideas to determine whether the stated preferences of Alianza ranchers align with differences in practice that improve environmental outcomes.

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Water Use Efficiency and Land Cover Variability on a Native Grassland Ranch on the Pampa Biome of Uruguay

Global efforts towards sustainable cattle ranching should be based on comprehensive approaches, targeting physical variables of the ranching process, as well as, the socioeconomic dimensions. Alianza del Pastizal is a non-profit conservation organization that works to preserve the temperate grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America by promoting conservation practices among ranching communities in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Alianza has become a mediator for ranchers exchanging information, resources, and education. Ranchers associated with the Alliance take pride in their property management as they aim to improve the community wellbeing and natural resource sustainability. In a previous study, producers from the four countries in the Alliance engaged in focus groups and participatory workshops where they identified water cycle regulation and water quality, as the most important ecosystem services provided by natural grasslands on their properties. With this information, our ultimate goal is to determine if the producers actual land use management activities align with the importance they placed on water. For this purpose, we chose the properties located in the floodplain of the Queguay River, northwestern Uruguay. We used a Google Earth Engine platform to inventory the vegetation types and corresponding Water Use Efficiency (WUE) values per vegetation type in the Colonia Juan Gutierrez. Our results indicate the presence of various vegetation types in the Colonia properties, which follow the seasonal rainfall and temperature patterns of the region, and display variability in WUE values. We plan to carry out the same analysis in the Rincon de Perez conservation area, and the managed forests west of the Colonia. Ultimately, we plan to compare these results to properties that do not subscribe to the Alianza’s ideas to determine whether the stated preferences of Alianza ranchers align with differences in practice that improve environmental outcomes.