Books in the Natural and Social Sciences of Patagonia series

The Freshwaters of Patagonia adopts a socioecological approach, in which experts from across Patagonia review recent, scientifically rigorous literature and data of their own, thus synthesizing the current knowledge directly relevant to understand the present state and future trends of icefields, freshwater and wetland ecosystems in this region.The book's organization into three parts provides a studied and comprehensive view on the patterns and processes of the various ecosystems in Patagonia, and describes the sociological aspects of freshwater ecosystems, as well as characterizes the conservation of the freshwater and wetland ecosystems, in Patagonia. The chapters offer a broad, state-of-the-art overview of the current status of glaciers, freshwater and wetland ecosystems of this region, as well as studies of both local and large scale biodiversity patterns, and study cases of extreme and naturally polluted environments.The volume concludes with the current status of Patagonian freshwaters, and discusses the scientific, legal and administrative tools aimed at their sustainable management within the framework of the UNEP Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda. A broad audience of students, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and policy makers will be interested in this volume.

This book relates one of the most representative species of Patagonian wildlife, the guanaco, to human societies across time, and explores how that relationship has changed over time due to different land uses and productive interests. The book provides information to understand these interactions, and contextualizes the current situation of this species. In some cases, it proposes possible solutions to conflicts, and also shows ongoing activities aimed at sustainable use and conservation. The audience for this book includes researchers, graduate students, policy makers and conservation and rural development professionals. In addition, it will serve as a tool for application authorities and field technicians on the use and conservation of wildlife, to define management actions for this species. 

This book aims to quantify and discuss how societies have directly and indirectly benefited from ecosystem services in Patagonia; not only in terms of provisioning and cultural services, but also regulating and supporting services. Patagonia, a region that stretches across two countries (ca. 10% in Chile and 90% in Argentina), is home to some of the most extensive wilderness areas on our planet. Natural grasslands comprise almost 30% of the Americas, including the Patagonian steppe, while Patagonian southern temperate forests are important for carbon sequestration and storage, play a pivotal role in water regulation, and have become widely recognized for their ecotourism value. However, profound changes are now underway that could affect key ecosystem functions and ultimately human well-being. In this context, one major challenge we face in Patagonia is that ecosystem services are often ignored in economic markets, government policies and land management practices. The book explores the synergies and trade-offs between conservation and economic development as natural landscapes and seascapes continue to degrade in Patagonia. Historically, economic markets have largely focused on the provisioning services (forest products, livestock) while neglecting the interdependent roles of regulating services (erosion and climate control), supporting services (nutrient cycling) and cultural services (recreation, local identity, tourism). Therefore, the present work focuses on ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, as well as on trends in biodiversity and the interactions between natural environments and land-use activities throughout Patagonia.

This book provides an integrated view of Atlantic coastal Patagonian ecosystems, including the physical environment, biodiversity and the main ecological processes, together with their derived ecosystem services and anthropogenic impacts.

This book presents a critical and integrated review of lizards from Patagonia. It summarizes the region's geomorphological history and climatic aspects, which makes it possible to interpret, from an evolutionary perspective, the latest findings on the various natural history aspects of its lizard fauna.