EM - Escola de Minas

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Traditional ecological knowledge in a ferruginous ecosystem management : lessons for diversifying land use.
(2020) Urriago Ospina, Lina Marcela; Jardim, Clarice Morais; Rivera Fernández, Germán Marino; Kozovits, Alessandra Rodrigues; Leite, Mariangela Garcia Praça; Messias, Maria Cristina Teixeira Braga
Soils developed on banded iron formations (BIFs) present severe physical and chemical limitations to the establishment and growth of non-native cultivated plants. In Brazil, these areas are extensively exploited by Fe and Al mining, causing impacts that further hamper the growth of plant species for the purpose of ecological restoration or rehabilitation. However, traditional communities have historically managed this type of environment successfully for subsistence crops. An understanding of the methods used for such purpose will help future studies of land-use diversifcation and rehabilitation in these ferruginous soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of a community with great cultural richness inhabiting areas on BIFs in Ouro Preto, Brazil. Interviewees were selected by the snowball technique. Ethnoecological methods (interviews, free lists and guided visits) were used to record the types of soil management, cultivated species and socioeconomic profle of specialists. Specialists are mainly women over 45 years old, low schooling, born and living in the area for a long period. Trial and error and vertical transmission represent the main forms of TEK acquisition. There was high diversity of praxis in the ecological soil management, as well as of cultivated species (183). The methods used are efcient for the physical and chemical soil improvement, allowing the establishment of species, increasing agrobiodiversity and diversifying land use. The used techniques can provide technologies for the rehabilitation of mined areas, confrming the importance of ethnoecological studies for this purpose.
Reviewers’ perceptions of the volume of information provided in environmental impact statements : the case for refocusing attention on what is relevant.
(2020) Fonseca, Alberto de Freitas Castro; Rivera Fernández, Germán Marino
Environmental impact statements (EISs), the main source of information used by reviewers and decisionmakers in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, are becoming increasingly lengthy. The implications of this phenomenon for decision-making have been mostly anecdotal. The objective of this article is twofold: first, it seeks to identify the main consequences of the growing volume of information provided in EISs for reviewing and decision-making; second, it aims at establishing how to better address the challenges of reviewing lengthy EISs. The perceptions of EIS reviewers were surveyed through an online questionnaire in Brazil. The 115 responses reveal that the growing volume of information provided in EISs has both positive and negative consequences. The majority of respondents perceived information needs to be context-dependent. Findings indicate that the challenges of reviewing lengthy EISs stem not so much from too much information, but rather from irrelevant information, as well as from weak capacity to process information. Therefore, enhancing the assessment scope and strengthening capacitybuilding are key steps in improving decision-making. The survey also revealed specific problems in Brazil’s environmental agencies, such as lack of staff and agencies’ growing dependence on information systems and repositories. The article highlights practical implications and suggests future avenues of research.
Does size matter? An evaluation of length and proportion of information in environmental impact statements.
(2018) Rivera Fernández, Germán Marino; Brito, Ludmila Ladeira Alves de; Fonseca, Alberto de Freitas Castro
For decades, authors and institutions have argued that the quality of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) is somehow affected by the volume of information they contain. Both too little and too much information can be a problem. However, very few academic studies have addressed the issue of EIS length in detail. The objective of this article was to systematically analyze the volume of information presented in EISs, using Brazil as the empirical context. More specifically, this study evaluated the volume and proportion of information disclosed in 49 Brazilian EISs. This study also tried to identify sectorial variations and whether variables such as project size and number of pages in Terms of References are likely determinants of information volume.>146 thousand pages of EIS information were scrutinized in two rounds of content analysis. Data were organized in spreadsheets and then coded and analyzed through various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Overall, findings corroborate the fact that EISs are now significantly longer than the early ones, and still heavily loaded with baseline information. The average number of pages in EISs and in Non-technical Summaries was found to be 2993 and 94, respectively. Kruskal-Wallis and linear regression tests indicated that EIS length is likely affected by a combination of variables, including project size, territorial and sectorial characteristics. Such findings suggest that the historical approach of setting page limits to EISs through regulations and Terms of References is no longer appropriate for EIA practice in connection with large enterprises in Brazil, and arguably elsewhere. The article discusses its practical and academic implications, and highlights the need to further investigate the actual impacts of EIS length on decision-making.

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