There is strong upswing in conservation and restoration efforts in Latin America (LA), particularly in the recent decades after several countries have committed to international agreements such as the Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Initiative 20×20, and the Bonn Challenge. To fulfill these agreements, the practice of ecological restoration has to be defined based on ecological knowledge, but also on the specific social, economic, and legal aspects of each country in the region. Here, we give some examples about the national understanding of ecological restoration in 10 countries of LA. We identify difficulties and opportunities to define restoration priorities and needs, and discuss some approaches to cope with economic constraints and agreements, including the potential role of restoration networks in this process. On the basis of the socioecological complexity of these countries and the expectations they have in relation to restoration, we proposed four approaches to guide restoration practice and policy in the region: (1) including biodiversity and ecosystem services approach into ecosystem restoration initiatives; (2) promoting restoration in their frequently human‐modified landscapes; (3) accounting for cost–benefit trade‐offs; and (4) assembling “horizontal” communication frameworks. These approaches should be based at national levels, but adapted to local‐regional levels, in a bottom‐up perspective. We consider that national and international restoration networks in the region can help to overcome difficulties, fostering a solid scientific community, helping to develop national approaches that better match the specific conditions of each country and enhancing communication among different groups of stakeholders.

In 2007 Argentina passed the 'Federal Law 26331 on Minimum Standards for the Environmental Protection of Native Forests', often referred to as the Forest Law, aimed at curbing and regulating the expansion of the agricultural frontier causing deforestation and the loss of native forests, and amid increasing social conflict. The law mandated provinces to develop and-use planning and zoning of their native forests through a participatory process, and to classify different uses of forestlands. In the province of Neuquén, the application of this regulationalong with its equivalent provincial norm, Law 2780-triggered much debate among environmental and social organizations, unions, small-scale rural producers, and Mapuche indigenous organizations, leading to an increase in conflict and disagreements between the different sectors involved. The application of the Forest Law in the region of Los Lagos and Lacar departments, which are forest areas with high landscape attractiveness and increasing tourism and real estate activity, generated considerable controversy, mobilizations, and debate in the local arena. Research for this paper involved methodological triangulation through ethnography and legal hermeneutics.

No abstract

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es determinar si la normativa provincial aplicable a los bosques del Espinal ha cumplido o no con los objetivos establecidos por la Ley Nacional No. 26.331 de 2007 de presupuestos mínimos ambientales para la protección de los bosques nativos de Argentina, y si las provincias mencionadas se han planteado o no obligaciones más exigentes. Se utilizó como guía un cuadro que fue diseñado en el marco de otro trabajo científico publicado anteriormente, en el cual se analizaron distintas regiones forestales. El ámbito territorial seleccionado se basó en un criterio ecológico aplicado a las regiones forestales, no limitándose a la división a través de las jurisdicciones institucionales (provincias). El Espinal es una especie de bosque nativo que se encuentra ubicado en las provincias de Santa Fe, Córdoba, San Luis, Entre Ríos, Corrientes y La Pampa en Argentina. Se trata de una investigación de carácter exploratorio, donde se aplicó el método de la hermenéutica jurídica. Es posible concluir que la problemática ambiental vinculada con la protección y el manejo de los bosques nativos en Argentina se encuentra en constante reformulación a nivel nacional y provincial, y que este último en su mayoría cumple con los objetivos y acciones fijados por la Ley Nacional de Bosques Nativos (No. 26.331).

No abstract

Resumen Desde la incorporación de la cuestión ambiental en la agenda internacional, se generaron expectativas acerca de la disciplina del

The objective of this article is to analyze the current legal framework on the right to participation and the right to access to public information, as applicable to the conservation of biodiversity in Argentina (particularly forests and wetlands). The focus is on a review of regulations and a selection of case law, based on the impact generated by Argentine environmental legislation, and an analysis of other modes of regional participation. The idea is to raise the question as to whether or not, above and beyond having legal tools that afford the possibility of taking action related to public participation and access to environmental information, these tools are channeled effectively through the system of sanctions provided under Argentine environmental law. A bibliographic study of norms, jurisprudence and doctrine is provided. The preliminary conclusion is that social actors play a key role and one that is complementary to the role of the public sector, and their rights need to be exercised constantly by citizens, since the results of the tools afforded by law are not always reflected efficiently in society.

Este trabajo tiene por objeto hacer un análisis legal y jurisprudencial de los servicios ecosistémicos brindados por bosques y humedales en la Argentina en el período 2000-2012. Hemos utilizado: a) la observación documental (de normas y jurisprudencia); b) la observación directa; c) el método de estudio de casos; y d) el análisis comparativo-descriptivo. La recogida de datos primarios y secundarios denota una ausencia de políticas públicas en torno a los servicios ecosistémicos en el ámbito analizado. Tampoco hay decisión política sobre el pago de estos servicios, por ende, su valoración económica es subjetiva y aleatoria ya que –al no haber parámetros legales preestablecidos– resulta difícil determinar equitativamente para la sociedad y la protección de la naturaleza. El trabajo concluye con una propuesta de política ambiental basada en los procesos de fitorremediación para mejorar la calidad del agua en entornos de ribera fluvial boscosa.