CONSERVACIONISMO EN ERAS DE ESPECIEÍSMO / CONSERVATION IN SPECIESISM AGES

Los alcances acumulativos de la acción humana, aunados al poderío tecno-científico, llevan hoy a que nuestra especie no solo se cuestione los límites de la capacidad que tiene la Tierra para asimilar y reciclar luego los desechos de la actividad humana, sino también los límites de nuestro especieísmo en la trama de la existencia. No ha sido la excepción, sino más bien la regla, que en una constante nuestra especie haya aumentado en población, sobreutilizando el entorno y malogrando un desarrollo que deteriora el medio ambiente cada vez más. El ser humano ha escrito la historia de la humanidad de forma especieísta, ensalzando su rol histórico que ha hecho obra contra el ser ecológico. Sin embargo, aisladas y frágiles treguas entre animales humanos y no humanos posibilitan cuestionarnos el sentido y significado filosófico del conservacionismo en eras del más crudo especieísmo.

The cumulative scope of human action, combined with the techno-scientific power nowadays take our species not only to question the limits of the Earth capacity to assimilate and recycle the waste products of human activities, but also the limits of speciesism within the weave of existence. It has not been the exception but rather the rule, that our species has constantly increased its population, overusing the environment and ruining a development that deteriorates the environment increasingly. Human beings have written the history of humanity in a speciesist form, extolling their historic role which has made work against the ecological being. However, isolated and fragile truces between human and nonhuman animals allow questioning the meaning and philosophical significance of conservationism in an age of the crudest speciesism.

The use of fish in Ilhabela (São Paulo/Brazil): preferences, food taboos and medicinal indications / O uso de peixes em Ilhabela (São Paulo, Brasil): preferências, tabus alimentares e indicações medicinais

This study was conducted in three communities of artisanal fishermen from Ilhabela, located on the northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil. The objective was to analyze the preferences, taboos and medicinal indications of fish and thus representing one of the interactions of fishermen with fish stocks. Data collection was conducted through interviews with the aid of semi-structured questionnaires. We interviewed 25 families, 29 residents in three communities studied during our fieldwork for data collection. Five interviews were done in Jabaquara Beach, 6 in Fome Beach and 14 Serraria Beach. During the interviews, 18 species were cited as preferred for consumption, 11 species considered to be taboo (food prohibited), 5 species were cited as avoided as food, and 4 species indicated in case of illness. The families of fishermen prefer to consume finfish and do not consume puffer fish, the latter probably due to its toxic characteristic. Fish such as little tunny, largehead hairtail, shark, serra mackerel and king mackerel are avoided by unhealthy people and in cases of wounds, inflammation, pregnancy and postpartum. Other fish, such as sea chubs, silver porgy, bluefish and grouper are reported as medicinal in these situations. Aspects related to fish consumption are part of the knowledge of fishermen and their families and provide a wealth of information that combined to biological information is useful for the conservation of fishery resources. Data such as those presented in this study, regarding the use of aquatic animals for treatment of diseases, could serve as a basis for future studies on substances that contain active elements in curing diseases.

Este trabalho foi realizado em três comunidades de pescadores artesanais de Ilhabela, localizadas no litoral norte do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. O objetivo foi analisar as preferências, os tabus e as indicações medicinais dos peixes e, desta forma, representar as interações dos pescadores com os recursos pesqueiros, visando entender os aspectos biológicos e culturais envolvidos. A coleta dos dados foi realizada através de entrevistas com o auxílio de questionários semi-estruturados. Foram entrevistadas 25 famílias, das 29 residentes nas três comunidades estudadas durante a coleta de dados, sendo que 5 delas foram realizadas na Praia do Jabaquara, 6 na Praia da Fome e 14 na Praia da Serraria. Foram citadas 18 consideradas preferidas para o consumo, 11 espécies consideradas como tabus, 5 espécies evitadas e 4 indicadas no caso de doenças. As famílias de pescadores preferem consumir peixes de escama e não consomem o baiacu, este último provavelmente devido a sua característica tóxica. Peixes como bonito, espada, cação, sororoca e cavala são evitados em casos como feridas, inflamações, gravidez e pós parto e outros como pirajica, marimba, anchova e garoupa são indicados como peixes medicinais nestas situações. Aspectos relativos ao consumo de pescado fazem parte do corpo de conhecimento dos pescadores e suas famílias e constituem um acervo rico de informações que somadas as informações biológicas são úteis para a conservação dos recursos pesqueiros. Dados como os apresentados nesse estudo, com relação ao uso de animais aquáticos para tratamento de doenças, podem servir de base para estudos futuros sobre substâncias que contenham elementos ativos na cura de doenças.

Temporal and spatial resource use by female three-toed sloths and their young in an agricultural landscape in Costa Rica

The information on ecological behavior of wild sloths is very scarce. In this study we determined the home ranges and resources used by three adult female three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus) and their four young in an agricultural matrix of cacao (Theobroma cacao), pasture, riparian forests and living fencerows in Costa Rica. Births occurred during November-December and the young became independent at five to seven months of age. Initially, mothers remained fixed in one or a few trees, but expanded their use of resources as young sloths became independent from them. Mothers initially guided the young to preferred food and cover resources, but they gradually left their young in small nucleus areas and colonized new areas for themselves. Home range sizes for young sloths (up to seven months of age) varied between 0.04-0.6 hectares, while home range sizes for mothers varied from 0.04-25.0 hectares. During the maternal care period, 22 tree species were used, with the most common being Cecropia obtusifolia (30.9%), Coussapoa villosa (25.6%), Nectandra salicifolia (12.1%), Pterocarpus officinalis (5.8%) and Samanea saman (5.4%). However, young sloths used only 20 tree species, with the most common being C. villosa (18.4%), S. saman (18.5 %) and N. salicifolia (16.7%). The cacao agroforest was used only by mother sloths and never by their young following separation. However, in the riparian forest, both mother sloths and young used the tree species. A total of 28 tree species were used by the mother sloth; including the food species: C. obtusifolia, C. villosa, N. salicifolia and P. officinalis. However, the young used 18 trees species in this habitat with N. salicifolia and S. saman most commonly used, although they rested and fed during the day in C. obtusifolia, C. villosa and O. sinnuata. The cacao agroforest with adjacent riparian forests and fencerows provides an important habitat type that links the smaller secondary forests and other patches. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (4): 1743-1755. Epub 2011 December 01.

La información sobre el comportamiento ecológico de los perezosos silvestre es muy escasa. Determinamos los ámbitos de acción y uso de recursos para hembras adultas de perezosos de tres dedos (Bradypus variegatus) y sus crías en una matriz agroforestal compuesta de cacao (Theobroma cacao), potreros, bosques ribereños y cercas vivas en Costa Rica. Los nacimientos de las crías se presentan frecuentemente de noviembre a diciembre y entre 5 a 7 meses las crías se vuelven independientes. Inicialmente las madres utilizan pocos árboles y van expandiendo el uso de recursos conforme las crías se van haciendo independientes de la madre. Las madres en los primeros meses guían a sus crías para seleccionar recursos y coberturas de bosque preferidos, y gradualmente se van separando de la cría hasta dejarlos en lo que fue su área núcleo. Ámbitos de acción de las crías (de hasta 7 meses o más de edad) varían entre 0.04-0.6ha, mientras que los ámbitos de acción de las madres varían 0.04-25.0ha. Durante el cuido maternal, 22 especies de árboles fueron utilizadas entre las más comunes se encuentran: Cecropia obtusifolia (30.9%), Coussapoa villosa (25.6%), Nectandra salicifolia (12.1%), Pterocarpus officinalis (5.8%) y Samanea saman (5.4%). Los jóvenes utilizaron solo 20 especies entre las más comunes C. villosa (18.4%), S. saman (18.5 %) y N. salicifolia (16.7%). El sistema agroforestal del cacao fue únicamente utilizado por la madre y no por la cría después del periodo de separación. Sin embargo, en los bosques ribereños tanto la madre como la cría utilizaron árboles como recursos. Un total de 28 especies de árboles fueron utilizados por la madre incluyendo especies para su alimentación tales como: C. obtusifolia, C. villosa, N. salicifolia y P. officinalis. Los jóvenes solo utilizaron 18 especies de árboles como N. salicifolia and S. saman entre las más frecuentes; inclusive los árboles utilizados para descanso y alimentación durante el día fueron C. obtusifolia, C. villosa y O. sinnuata. Los sistemas agroforestales de cacao adyacentes a bosques ribereños y cercas vivas proveen un importante hábitat que une pequeños parches de bosques secundarios.

Costo-efectividad de la rehabilitación respiratoria en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Cost-effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Patients with chronic respiratory disease are heavy users of health care and social services resources worldwide. Although the major goals of pulmonary rehabilitation programs are to reduce levels of morbidity and to improve activity as well as participation in patients with chronic respiratory disease, their role in the management of these patients must also be validated by cost-effectiveness. Pulmonary rehabilitation's role in decreasing utilization of health care resources is an important potential benefit. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an effective intervention in patients disabled by chronic respiratory disease; however, there are relatively few studies that evaluate its effect on health care utilization. An 18-session, 6-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program decreased inpatient hospital days and decreased the number of home visits when compared with standard medical management. A comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis of the addition of this multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program to standard care for patients with chronic disabling respiratory disease concluded that the program was cost-effective and produced cost per quality-adjusted-life-years (QALY) ratios within the bounds considered to be cost-effective and therefore likely to result in financial benefits to the health care system. Patients with COPD who receive an education intervention with supervision and support based on disease-specific self management principles have decreased hospital admissions, decreased emergency department visits, and reduced number of unscheduled physician visits. This approach of care through self-management strategies is of interest because it does not require specialized resources and could be implemented within normal health care practice. In a before-after designed study, a community-based, 18-session, comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program was associated with an average reduction of total costs of US$344 per person per year. This wa...

Los pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias crónicas son grandes consumidores de recursos sanitarios y servicios sociales en todo el mundo. Aunque el principal objetivo de los programas de rehabilitación pulmonar es aliviar la disnea y mejorar la capacidad física, su papel en el manejo de los pacientes con afecciones respiratorias crónicas debe ser validado por estudios de costo-efectividad. La reducción del empleo de los recursos sanitarios puede ser un beneficio potencial importante de los programas de rehabilitación respiratoria multidisciplinarios. La rehabilitación pulmonar ha demostrado ser una intervención efectiva en los pacientes con discapacidad por enfermedad respiratoria crónica, sin embargo, existen relativamente pocos estudios que hayan examinado su efecto sobre la utilización de recursos sanitarios. En un programa ambulatorio de rehabilitación pulmonar de seis semanas se observó una reducción en los días de hospitalización y el número de visitas domiciliarias en comparación con el tratamiento médico estándar. El análisis de costo-efectividad de un programa de rehabilitación pulmonar multidisciplinario en pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias crónicas discapacitantes concluyó que el programa era costo-efectivo en términos de años de vida ajustados por calidad (AVAC) considerados como rentables y por lo tanto es probable que fuera económicamente beneficioso para el sistema de salud. Los pacientes con EPOC que reciben una intervención educativa con supervisión y apoyo basado en los principios de autogestión de la enfermedad disminuyen los ingresos hospitalarios, las visitas a los servicios de urgencias y el número de visitas médicas no programadas. Este enfoque de la atención, basado en estrategias de autocuidado, es de interés, ya que no requiere de recursos especializados y podría aplicarse en la práctica de salud habitual. Un programa integral de rehabilitación pulmonar basado en la comunidad se asoció a una reducción promedio de los costos...

Ecología de la comunidad de saurios diurnos de la Reserva Nacional de Paracas, Ica, Perú

En el presente trabajo estudiamos algunos aspectos de la ecología de la comunidad de saurios diurnos de la Reserva Nacional de Paracas (RNP) desde abril a setiembre de 1999. Analizamos la distribución espacial, el uso del hábitat (nicho espacial), patrones de actividad (nicho temporal) y la dieta (nicho trófico) de estos reptiles, con el objetivo de identificar las principales diferencias que permitirían la división en el uso de los recursos. Estas especies mostraron preferencias por algunos hábitats, a excepción de Microlophus peruvianus, la lagartija de los arenales M. theresiae y la lagartija de los gramadales M. thoracius icae. Las especies mostraron preferencias por algunos hábitats, a excepción de Microlophus peruvianus que estuvo presente en todos los hábitats. La actividad de los saurios se concentraron al medio día, a excepción de C. adspersa. La dieta de estos saurios esta compuesta principalmente por insectos. Los saurios diurnos en la RNP presentan diferencias en el nicho trófico, espacial y/o temporal que posibilitarían su coexistencia en simpatría.

In present paper we study some ecological aspects of the diurnal saurian community of National Reserve of Paracas (RNP) since April to September 1999.". The spatial distribution, habitat uses (spatial niche), activities patterns (temporal niche) and the diet (trophic niche) of these reptiles were analyzed with the objective of identifying the main differences that will allow a division in the use of the resources. Ctenoblepharis adspersa (bigheaded lizard), Microlophus peruvianus (beach lizard), M. theresiae (dune lizard) and M. thoracius icae (grass lizard) were the species studied. Each lizard showed preference for some particular habitat, to exception of M. peruvianus that was present in all the habitats. The activity was concentrated to the half-day, to exception of C. adspersa. The diets were mainly insects. Differences in trophic, temporal and spatial niche were observed and these would facilitate the coexistence in sympatry of species lizards.