Biomass for energy production and other bioproducts may be procured from various sources including willow short-rotation coppice (WSRC). Management of WSRCs involves several operations, including harvesting, which accounts for the greatest cost share and, if conducted motor-manually, it can expose the workers to noise, uncomfortable work postures and high cardiovascular loads. In this study, we evaluated the productivity, physical strain, exposure to noise, and postural risk index of workers operating in motor-manual felling of WSRC using a set of automatic dataloggers. Productivity of felling operations was rated at 0.07 ha/h, which is in line with the results reported by other studies. Cardiovascular load was rated at cca. 35% of the HRR, indicating a medium to heavy work experienced by the feller, with a greater contribution of tasks involving movement. Exposure to noise (LEX,8h = 95.19) exceeded the limit value set by the European legislation (87 dBA) and it could increase as a function of the engine utilization rate, which was 68% in this study, advocating for mandatory wearing of protective equipment. Postural risk index was evaluated at 191.11% for the worker handling the brush cutter and at 192.02% for the manual assistant indicating rather reduced risks, but also the need to evaluate how the dynamic work of the upper limbs would affect the workers’ health. While this work stands for a preliminary case study, the procedures described may be successfully used to easily collect long-term data in such operations.
Ecosystem services make human life possible by providing benefits associated with recreation, education, inspiration, and spirituality. Assessing the perception on the provision of cultural services helps in understanding the value of landscapes and improving their management. However, there are few studies on the relationship between the landscapes and the sociocultural values that people are getting from them. The present analysis was carried out using a comparative approach to estimate the frequency of use and the perceived capacity of the flow of cultural services in the view of local communities and tourists of the Chimborazo Wildlife Production Reserve, Ecuador. Based on 356 valid questionnaires for locals and 250 questionnaires for tourists, 208 of which were applied to nationals and 42 to foreigners, the results indicate that respondents tend to use and place value on cultural services provided by Chimborazo Mountain. The frequency of use seems to be related to proximity and local beliefs in the case of locals, and to the knowledge of tourism activities in the case of tourists. Out of the 10 selected tourist attractions, Chimborazo volcano with the surrounding patches of natural forest was perceived to hold the capacity to ensure the flow of cultural services for both locals and tourists. Factors that modified the perception were found to be quite heterogeneous in the cohorts taken into study. The results found could sustain the management and responsible use of the local ecosystems.
Tourism in natural areas attracts people seeking contact with pristine ecosystems as opposed to a polluted urban habitat and a stressful pace of life. An adequate tourist route and itinerary guarantees a high level of tourist satisfaction. The objective of this study was to focus on the design of a tourist route and itinerary in the Altar Volcano, Sangay National Park, central Ecuador, by integrating tourist attractions and facilities. Within the methodological process, the main tourist attractions of the area were identified and georeferenced; then, a thematic map was elaborated using ArcGIS 10.5® software. Distances were determined by considering the transportation alternatives in relation to the base camps. Finally, the itinerary was structured by considering the possible tourist activities of each place or attraction. As a result, a tourist route was obtained that included 19 attractions and an itinerary that interacts with various activities in the study area. This research will strengthen tourism activities in the Altar Volcano, allowing for an increase in the number of visitors and the development of sustainable tourism thanks to proper planning in the use of a new tourist route.
Challenges that characterize the relations between humans and environment can be addressed using the concepts and methods of ecosystem services assessment to provide a proper basis for environmental accountability and policy development. While the provisioning ecosystem services received a lot of focus in the science, and based on different cultural values that may be associated to different regions, there are still gaps in understanding how local communities use the ecosystems' cultural services. This study quantified the frequency of use and the perceived capacity to provide cultural services in the view of communities located in the Chimborazo Wildlife Production Reserve (CR), Ecuador, by a questionnaire survey. Based on 356 valid questionnaires and a response rate of 78%, the findings indicate that locals tend to use and place value on cultural services provided by iconic mountains such as Chimborazo. In particular, the locals use cultural services that are associated with recreation (observation of flora and fauna, hiking, rest and relaxation, entertainment and landscaping), while the frequency of use seems to be related to proximity and local believes. In the case of perceived capacity, the things were similar, with high ratings given to closest landscapes and touristic attractions, and in particular to the Chimborazo Mountain. Locals tend to perceive differently the capacity of landscapes to provide cultural services based on gender, occupation and level of income. Implications for local environmental management are not serious since the management scope of the CR is not divergent compared to the locals' use of cultural services.
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