A bottom-up approach for stream ecological rehabilitation in cooperation with local workers of a social cooperative (Buenos Aires, Argentina): socio-ecological framework and rehabilitation effectiveness

SÁNCHEZ MARIA LAURA; IZAGUIRRE IRINA; GRAZIANO MARTIN; DE GROOT GRECIA STEFANIA

Oaxaca

Conferencia; II Open Conference of the Programme of Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS II) ?Placed-based transdisciplinary research for Global Sustainability?; 2017

Participative ecosystem restoration approaches at the urban space usually collide with traditional top-down approaches where the design and execution of the work are done by the governance without local community participation. Here we present an experience (2015-2016) held in cooperation with workers of a social cooperative associated to a National Program from Argentina related to the ecological rehabilitation of an urban stream through the management of the riparian vegetation and the re-introduction of native macrophytes. The aims of the work were 1) to evaluate the socio-ecological framework in which the work is supported, and 2) to assess the effectiveness of the intervention through the use of different biological indicators.The methodology involved a set of participatory action-research tools, semi-structured interviews and a BACI design associated with water and macrophyte sampling at the intervention reach and two controls reaches.The socio-ecological approach evidenced the importance of sanitary and community values of the intervention for the cooperative workers and unfolded the territorial network that could possibly affect the work, particularly the overlapping with another cooperative, and the relationship with local and regional governments. After 3 months, we obtained 30% of survival in transplanted macrophytes, a significant increase in peryphitic algal biomass and a turnover of periphytic functional groups, indicative of biological changes at the stream reach; however, we did not detect an effect on nutrient retention. We discuss these results in terms of socio-ecological thresholds, and analyze the strengths and limitations of the co-participative work to overcome socio-ecological traps arising from the socio-territorial context.