Publication: Litoral Ecocultural
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2009-12-15
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EcoCulturas - Fundación Marcelino Botín
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Abstract
El presente programa de investigación se llevó a cabo desde la necesidad de profundizar sobre las relaciones entre las actividades humanas y las dinámicas ambientales del litoral de Cantabria, analizando los impactos y los potenciales de desarrollo sostenible de estas relaciones. Como hipótesis general, formulamos que las actividades sociales con un impacto ambiental más positivo y con mayor potencial de desarrollo sostenible son aquellas más relacionadas con el territorio. Partiendo de un método de investigación multinivel de integración disciplinar y de objeto de estudio, se realizó una recogida de información social y ambiental de fuentes secundarias y primarias tanto cualitativas como cuantitativas. En el ámbito ambiental, a nivel cuantitativo se utilizaron indicadores de calidad de aguas y sedimentos de 7 principales estuarios y rías de la región, y a nivel cualitativo se realizaron observaciones de campo de las modificaciones humanas del relieve de la costa. En el ámbito social, se utilizaron indicadores estadísticos por municipios a nivel cuantitativo, y a nivel cualitativo se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad y coloquios con 701 informantes clave. La información cuantitativa se procesó para identificar factores psicosociales y ambientales significativos en su relación entre ellos y se integró a través de técnicas de análisis estadísticos como el análisis factorial, análisis de conglomerados, regresiones lineales múltiples, y ANOVAs. La información cualitativa se procesó identificando ejes de categorización y categorías principales, tanto ambientales como psicosociales, analizándose en profundidad las dinámicas entre los factores más significativos.
A nivel general, los resultados muestran que los indicadores sociales que mejor predicen la calidad de aguas y sedimentos son los índices relativos de sectores generales productivos. Ello sugiere que es el grado de proporción relativa u homogeneidad (vs.diversidad) de un sector productivo en un territorio dado el principal factor que predice los diferentes impactos negativos (vs. positivos) en la calidad del medio acuático del litoral. Surgen en el estudio grandes diferencias en la relación entre sociedad y medioambiente en el litoral, con varios perfiles territoriales, con zonas (como el área de la Bahía de Santander) muy significativamente afectadas negativamente por factores de presión poblacional (tanto en indicadores de sedimentos como el cromo, el mercurio, o de aguas como el amonio y con mayores modificaciones del relieve de la costa), zonas con importantes impactos industriales (como la Ría del Besaya, con indicadores de sedimentos como el zinc, plomo y cadmio) y zonas más relacionados con actividades agropecuarias (como la Ría del Nansa o del Pas, con impactos negativos en indicadores de aguas como los nitritos y nitratos e impactos positivos como la menor presencia de elementos como el zinc en sus sedimentos y menor modificaciones de fisonomía cultural y ambiental). En general, los elementos culturales más degradados son los que más relación funcional tienen con su entorno, degradación explicada en parte por el valor psicosocial que se les da a este patrimonio cultural. El estudio en general nos indica que es la construcción psicosocial, las concepciones y actitudes sobre el papel del patrimonio cultural y natural en el desarrollo y sobre lo que significa desarrollo y progreso, las que guían los diferentes modelos productivos y ecológicos y los subsecuentes impactos ambientales y culturales, y no al revés.
En cambio, el estudio indica la existencia de una rica y poco visible red de relaciones integradas entre una diversidad de actividades, conocimientos y afectos psicosociales y la diversidad ecológica, que proviene de la acumulación de conocimientos y costumbres populares que aún en la actualidad se ven reflejados en el territorio, y que, aunque especialmente degradados y en riesgo, todavía mantienen muchas de sus cualidades y potenciales. El estudio propone una serie de acciones para el desarrollo sostenible que pasa por una estrategia de reterritorialización a través de la promoción de corredores, redes y cadenas de valor ecoculturales, especialmente de aquellas que suponen una integración entre el medio terrestre y el acuático.
The present research program was carried out on the need to deepen into the relationships between human activities and environmental dynamics on the coast of Cantabria, a region at the Atlantic North of Spain, studying present impacts and potentials for sustainable development. As a general hypothesis, social activities more related to the land were expected to show less negative environmental impact and more potentials for sustainable development. Based on a multi-level research method of disciplinary integration, social and environmental information was gathered from secondary and primary, qualitative and quantitative sources. On the environmental field, quantitative information was gathered on water and sediments from 7 main estuaries of the region and qualitative information was gathered through field observation of human coastal modifications. On the social field, statistical indicators per municipality were used as quantitative data, and individual and group interviews and workshops were carried out for qualitative information, with 701 key informants. Quantitative information was processed in order to identify significant psychosocial and environmental factors in their relationship among them, using statistical techniques such as factorial analysis, cluster analysis, lineal multiple regressions, and ANOVAs. Qualitative information was processed identifying axis of categorization and main environmental and psychosocial categories, analyzing in depth all dynamics among significant factors. General results show relative indices of main productive sectors as best significant predictors of water and sediments quality indicators. This suggests relative proportion or homogeneity (vs. diversity) of general productive sectors in a given land as the main dimension predicting different negative (vs. positive) impacts in the water quality of the coast. Large differences in the relationships between society and environment arise in this study, with several land profiles, with areas (such as Santander Bay) significantly negative affected by population pressure factors (predicting sediment indicators such as chrome, mercury, water indicators such as ammonia, and larger coastal morphology changes), areas with important industrial impacts (such as Besaya estuary, with sediment indicators such as zinc, lead, and cadmium) and areas most related to farming activities (such as Nansa and Pas estuaries, with negative impacts in water indicators such as nitrites and nitrates and positive impacts such as lower presence of zinc in sediments and lower modifications in cultural and natural elements). In general terms, most degraded cultural elements are those most functionally related to the land, partly explained by the psychosocial value given to this cultural heritage. This study points to the psychosocial building, the conceptions and attitudes on cultural and natural heritage, the meanings of development and progress as leading factors of productive and ecological models and subsequent environmental and cultural impacts, and not the way around. On the other hand, the study shows a rich but little visible network of integrated relationships between a diversity of social activities and ecological dynamics, coming from popular knowledge, psychosocial affects, and practices, which are still present in the land, and even though they show a high level of degradation and risk, still maintain many of their qualities and potentials. A series of actions for sustainable development based on a “re-territoralization” strategy through fostering “ecocultural” networks, corridors, and value chains is proposed, especially including those implying an integration between land and water.
The present research program was carried out on the need to deepen into the relationships between human activities and environmental dynamics on the coast of Cantabria, a region at the Atlantic North of Spain, studying present impacts and potentials for sustainable development. As a general hypothesis, social activities more related to the land were expected to show less negative environmental impact and more potentials for sustainable development. Based on a multi-level research method of disciplinary integration, social and environmental information was gathered from secondary and primary, qualitative and quantitative sources. On the environmental field, quantitative information was gathered on water and sediments from 7 main estuaries of the region and qualitative information was gathered through field observation of human coastal modifications. On the social field, statistical indicators per municipality were used as quantitative data, and individual and group interviews and workshops were carried out for qualitative information, with 701 key informants. Quantitative information was processed in order to identify significant psychosocial and environmental factors in their relationship among them, using statistical techniques such as factorial analysis, cluster analysis, lineal multiple regressions, and ANOVAs. Qualitative information was processed identifying axis of categorization and main environmental and psychosocial categories, analyzing in depth all dynamics among significant factors. General results show relative indices of main productive sectors as best significant predictors of water and sediments quality indicators. This suggests relative proportion or homogeneity (vs. diversity) of general productive sectors in a given land as the main dimension predicting different negative (vs. positive) impacts in the water quality of the coast. Large differences in the relationships between society and environment arise in this study, with several land profiles, with areas (such as Santander Bay) significantly negative affected by population pressure factors (predicting sediment indicators such as chrome, mercury, water indicators such as ammonia, and larger coastal morphology changes), areas with important industrial impacts (such as Besaya estuary, with sediment indicators such as zinc, lead, and cadmium) and areas most related to farming activities (such as Nansa and Pas estuaries, with negative impacts in water indicators such as nitrites and nitrates and positive impacts such as lower presence of zinc in sediments and lower modifications in cultural and natural elements). In general terms, most degraded cultural elements are those most functionally related to the land, partly explained by the psychosocial value given to this cultural heritage. This study points to the psychosocial building, the conceptions and attitudes on cultural and natural heritage, the meanings of development and progress as leading factors of productive and ecological models and subsequent environmental and cultural impacts, and not the way around. On the other hand, the study shows a rich but little visible network of integrated relationships between a diversity of social activities and ecological dynamics, coming from popular knowledge, psychosocial affects, and practices, which are still present in the land, and even though they show a high level of degradation and risk, still maintain many of their qualities and potentials. A series of actions for sustainable development based on a “re-territoralization” strategy through fostering “ecocultural” networks, corridors, and value chains is proposed, especially including those implying an integration between land and water.