Rene Murrieta-Galindo

El aumento en el uso de envases de diversos materiales ha generado problemas ambientales a nivel global. Para mitigar este impacto, se han desarrollado envases biodegradables durante más de cuarenta años. Sin embargo, existe un escaso conocimiento acerca de la opinión de la sociedad, lo que podría dificultar la aplicación de soluciones efectivas para abordar esta problemática. Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar la opinión de la sociedad sobre el uso de estos empaques en la Zona Metropolitana de Xalapa, Veracruz, México (ZMX). Se aplicaron encuestas con preguntas cerradas a 2,221 individuos mayores de 15 años en 9 municipios de la ZMX. Se encontró que el 88 % de los encuestados eran conscientes del impacto ambiental de los residuos plásticos, aunque el 39 % desconocía los envases biodegradables disponibles en el mercado. Sin embargo, una parte significativa de los encuestados mostró una actitud positiva hacia la adopción de estos envases si están fácilmente disponibles en el mercado. Se sugiere implementar políticas públicas y programas de educación ambiental para promover la correcta separación de residuos y dar a conocer las opciones de envases biodegradables en la ZMX.

Water lily (Pontederia crassipes) is a common hydrophytic plant present in many water bodies, however, its potential is underestimated in various applications. This study aimed to characterize their chemical composition and morphology, as well as to explore their possible sustainable applications. Consequently, water lily samples were collected and FTIR and SEM analyses were performed to understand its chemical and morphological structure. The results revealed that water lily is rich in cellulose and lignin, which makes it ideal for the removal of contaminants and various biotechnological applications. In addition, its possibilities in the production of biodegradable materials, bioplastics and biofuels are highlighted. Although the influence of geographical variations in its composition is recognized, this study lays the foundation for further research and the development of sustainable technologies that may take advantage of this underestimated resource. Its implications range from solving environmental problems to benefiting society and industry, promoting valuable and sustainable solutions in a global context.

Vol. 24, núm. 5 septiembre-octubre 2023 Árboles y humanidad: un vínculo entre manejo forestal y antropología ecológica Paloma López Colunga … ORCID: 0000-0002-7142-0980 El Colegio de Veracruz Maestra en Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología A.C. Ingeniera Forestal, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Actualmente alumna del Doctorado en Desarrollo Regional Sustentable en El Colegio de Veracruz. Especialista […]

The water security (WS) approach must be practical and measurable to address water-related challenges. Since 2000, the term Water Security has been regularly mentioned worldwide. However, nowadays, there is still not an accepted definition either for a country or for a region. This research conducted a meta-analysis in the context of renewable water and global water stress, evaluating 873 scientific papers and 26 definitions of WS, using bibliometric network analysis, geographic information systems, and data mining to analyze the state of the art of WS. The results indicate that the definitions of WS have an anthropocentric character. The term economic in the context of WS definitions is the most relevant, and the term ecosystems are the least relevant. Less than 30 % of the definitions analyzed are operationalized through some measurement instrument. The most researched topics on WS are evaluation, management, and impact. On the frontier of study are the issues of water footprint, operation of springs, and awareness. In the world, countries such as the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, with little renewable water in their respective continents, are the ones that publish the most and try to define the concept of WS. Therefore, it is concluded that the main problem of WS definitions worldwide is that they cannot be operationalized in some local indexes, hindering their implementation. In addition, the environment has not been relevant in WS research and definitions. Para enfrentar los desafíos relacionados con el agua, el abordaje de seguridad hídrica (SH) debe ser práctico y medible. En el año 2000 se hablaba de SH en el mundo; sin embargo, hoy no existe una definición aceptada para un país o región. Esta investigación realizó un meta-análisis en el contexto de agua renovable y estrés hídrico mundial, evaluando 873 documentos científicos y 26 definiciones de SH, utilizando análisis de redes bibliométricas, sistemas de información geográfica y minería de datos, con el objetivo de analizar el estado del arte de la SH. Los resultados indican que las definiciones sobre SH tienen un carácter antropocéntrico. El término económico en el contexto de las definiciones de SH es el más relevante y el término ecosistemas presenta la menor relevancia. Menos del 30 % de las definiciones analizadas son operacionalizadas a través de algún instrumento de medición. Los temas más investigados sobre SH son evaluación, gestión e impacto. En la frontera de estudio se encuentran los temas de huella hídrica, operación de manantiales y sensibilización. En el mundo, países como EUA, China y Reino Unido, con poca agua renovable en su respectivo continente, son los que más publican y tratan de definir el concepto de SH. Por tanto, se concluye que el principal problema de las definiciones de SH en el mundo es que no pueden operacionalizarse en algún índice local, impidiendo su implementación. Además, el medio ambiente no ha sido relevante en las investigaciones y definiciones de seguridad hídrica.

Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is a floating hydrophyte plant considered one of the 100 most harmful invasive alien species in the world. Its main uses have been developed along three lines: (1) control, (2) eradication, and (3) wastewater bioremediation. The objective of this work was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) focused on the documented uses of Pontederia crassipes, and to determine if there is evidence of its use as a raw material (plant biomass) for the generation of biodegradable products. This systematic literature review was conducted in six international databases, considering three inclusion criteria and three exclusion criteria. The available information about Pontederia crassipes showed a small percentage of studies aimed at the use of its biomass as a raw material for the creation of various biodegradable products, such as cardboard, paper, packaging and some other products, since this species is adaptable and prolific in multiple regions of Mexico.

As a governmental function, development for progress and welfare is a highly complex process that involves updating various attributes (such as a paradigm, critical or alternative, depending on of the way in which they are articulated regarding social aspects, environmental, and economic growth, as well as the institutional capacity of public and private actors). Regarding this, we are interested in the municipal institutional capacity (MIC) as a skill to carry out the functions and appropriate tasks that municipalities must fulfill in an effective, efficient, and sustainable way, and it varies considerably, depending on each local context. In order to analyze the relevance of the current official regionalization as a state government strategy for the centralized construction of MIC, an exploratory approach to its spatial behavior in the State of Veracruz, Mexico, was carried out. Given the nature of the study, a purely mixed approach, sequential exploratory design, subnational analysis methodology, and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) were employed. The variable to be analyzed is the 2016 Municipal Functional Capacities Index (Índice de Capacidades Funcionales Municipales (ICFM)), with the Geostatistics Framework cartographic base of the 2020 Population and Housing Census. The analysis units are 212 municipalities in the 2014–2017 government period. As a result, it was confirmed that the current regionalization was irrelevant, owing to the absence of global spatial autocorrelation, and it was concluded that targeted interventions are necessary according to regional modeling techniques, based on scientific evidence.

Mexico does not have an instrument to measure water security (WS) and 47 % of its states have extremely high water stress. This research characterized and evaluated a WS index in Veracruz, with a hydrological basin approach, using geographic information systems to analyze variables, indicators and dimensions in Mexico. The results indicated that 11 watersheds (19 %) had a High WS, 21 (36 %) Medium WS, 20 (35%) Low WS and 6 (10 %) Very Low WS; no watershed reached Very High WS. 77 % of the basins presented a decrease of water from 2014-2020 and the indicator with the lowest value was "infrastructure". Consequently, measuring the current water availability must be modified by a water balance and making a strategic planning infrastructure. For other regions, replication of the proposed WS index is considered feasible.

Bat acoustic libraries are important tools that assemble echolocation calls to allow the comparison and discrimination to confirm species identifications. The Sonozotz project represents the first nation‐wide library of bat echolocation calls for a megadiverse country. It was assembled following a standardized recording protocol that aimed to cover different recording habitats, recording techniques, and call variation inherent to individuals. The Sonozotz project included 69 species of echolocating bats, a high species richness that represents 50% of bat species found in the country. We include recommendations on how the database can be used and how the sampling methods can be potentially replicated in countries with similar environmental and geographic conditions. To our knowledge, this represents the most exhaustive effort to date to document and compile the diversity of bat echolocation calls for a megadiverse country. This database will be useful to address a range of ecological questions including the effects of anthropogenic activities on bat communities through the analysis of bat sound.

English The abuse of inorganic fertilizers in coffee agroecosystems is a worldwide problem. In central Mexico, organic fertilizers are being introduced as an alternative way to restore soil fertility. The aim of this study was to investigate coffee farmers from central Veracruz’s perceptions of bat guano as organic fertilizer. Surveys were conducted with closed and open questions followed by quantitative and qualitative analysis. Eighty-eight percent of the farmers surveyed negatively perceived bat guano. Factors influencing this perception were bats’ physical appearance, their role as disease transmitters, and the difficulties in procuring guano, including the resources needed to extract it, handle it, and transport it safely to their workplaces.Spanish El abuso de fertilizantes inorgánicos en los agroecosistemas del café es un problema mundial. En el centro de México se comienzan a emplear fertilizantes orgánicos como alternativa para restaurar los suelos. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la percepción de los caficultores sobre el empleo del guano de murciélago como fertilizante. Se realizaron encuestas con preguntas abiertas y cerradas que se analizaron cuantitativa y cualtitativamente. El ochenta y ocho por ciento de los cafeticultores encuestados percibieron negativamente al guano de murciélago. Los factores que influyeron en esta percepción fueron: la apariencia física de los murciélagos, su rol como transmisores de enfermedades y las dificultades para adquirir el guano, incluyendo los recursos necesarios para extraerlo, manipularlo y transportarlo de manera segura a sus fincas cafetaleras.French L’abus d’engrais inorganiques dans les agroécosystèmes de café est un problème mondial. Dans le centre du Mexique, les engrais biologiques commencent à être utilisés pour restaurer les sols. Notre recherche se proposait d’étudier la perception de l’utilisation du guano de chauve-souris comme engrais organique par les caféiculteurs. Des enquêtes semi-structurées (comprenant des questions ouvertes et fermées) ont été menées à partir de méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives. Quatrevingt-huit pour cent des agriculteurs interrogés perçoivent ce guano de manière négative. Parmi les facteurs qui influencent cette perception se trouvent l’apparence physique des chauves-souris, la transmission de maladies et les difficultés pour acquérir le guano, y compris les ressources nécessaires pour l’extraire, le manipuler et le transporter en toute sécurité vers leurs exploitations.