Research network of socio-ecological landscapes in drylands

The network includes lines of research focused on ecological, hydrological and social processes in Argentina’s western drylands. To do so, it appeals to multiscalar, interdisciplinary approaches with special attention to alterations produced by climate change and land use. Our research comprises several landscapes, productive systems (farming, livestock, among others), water resources (particularly groundwater) and living organisms (soil crust, plants, animals) as study models.

Our work is shared with fellow researchers from our institution and several others, both national and international, and includes studies on dry ecosystems emphasizing the interphases characterized by different uses and levels of ecological and social connectivity, including the underground water system, as a vital and strategic resource in drylands. The integrated development of biological, hydrological and paleolimnological studies is innovative and interesting for arid zones, in complex systems such as wetlands, regulators of ecosystemic services and matter and energy fluxes. In Mendoza, the aridity conditions reinforce the high climatic variation and vulnerability, making it necessary to fill the existing knowledge gaps. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction has as its end to establish the paleoecological evolution of environments, identify past hydrologic changes and their relationship with climate change, an essential element in future scenarios simulations and adaptation measures.

Our research themes comprise:

• The role of anthropic activities in landscape and biodiversity transformation.
• Study on the effect of climate change and the landscape use over hydric resources in general and groundwater in particular.
• Studies of superficial water and groundwater interactions in the environment of wetlands in arid zones.
• Limnological and paleolimnological studies through hydrological and ostracods studies.
• Connectivity and fluxes of organisms between areas under different management forms.
• Archaeology of Argentina’s midwest micromammals bones remains.
• Cultural landscapes, heritage and processes of touristic patrimonialization.
• Territory, landscape(s) and power. Studies of landscape as an image of territorial transformations mediated by power.
• Social reproduction and land and natural goods usage in rural territories and rural-urban interphases.
• Relations between biological and cultural diversity in drylands.
• Management and protection of native forests and protected areas.

Some Universities, Research Centres and governmental organisms which we work with are:

Argentina: Universidad de la Patagonia Austral, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Universidad de Mendoza, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Universidad Nacional de La Rioja, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Administración de Parques Nacionales, Dirección de Recursos Naturales Renovables de Mendoza, Instituto Nacional del Agua, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria.

Foreign: Syracuse University (United States), Ohio University (United States), Universidad Nacional de Bogotá (Colombia), Universidad de Manizales (Colombia), Universidad El Bosque (Colombia), Universidad de Sevilla (Spain), Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain), Universitá degli Studi di Padova (Italy), Universitá degli Studi di Pavìa (Italy), Politecnico di Milano (Italy); Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (México), Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico), Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil).