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This study analyzes floristic and vegetation structure changes during forest succession after disturbances caused by small-scale gold mining in Madre de Dios (Peru). We compared the floristic and vegetation structure of a reference forest against three sites with different periods of abandonment after mining (5, 11 and 23-years). Three 20 × 60 m plots were defined on each site, and all tree species with a DBH >1 cm within the plots were inventoried. To evaluate species diversity and similarity, the Importance Value, effective numbers of species (0D, 1D, and 2D), and Chao-Jaccard similarity index were calculated. We used the Nonmetric multidimensional scaling for similarity ordination and the PERMANOVA test to evaluate differences in floristic composition. We recorded 129 tree species in the study areas and statistically significant differences between initial and intermediate stages were observed regarding floristic composition, basal area, height, and DBH. The transition from the initial successional stage to the reference forest produces an increase in basal area, species diversity, and floristic similarity. The 23-year-old stand had more species in common with the 11-year-old stand than the reference forest. Our results showed a high proportion of pioneer species and anemochory dispersal syndrome in the initial successional stages, but they decreased in later stages of the chronosequence. The floristic and structural attributes of forests throughout the chronosequence showed a fast recovery during secondary succession. After 23 years, the recovery of tree species density was 77 % of reference forest, while the relative recovery of species composition was much slower, on average 23 %. These results provide essential information to guide the selection of suitable species in ecological restoration projects after abandonment. Implementing forest restoration strategies based on reliable information to accelerate the process of vegetation succession is critical for recuperating areas degraded by gold mining at the Peruvian Amazon.

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Amazon has degraded tropical forests and escalated mercury (Hg) pollution, affecting biodiversity, ecological processes and rural livelihoods. In the Peruvian Amazon, ASGM annually releases some 181 tons of Hg into the environment. Despite some recent advances in understanding the spatial distribution of Hg within gold mine spoils and the surrounding landscape, temporal dynamics in Hg movement are not well understood. We aimed to reveal spatio-temporal trends of soil Hg in areas degraded by ASGM.,. We analyzed soil and sediment samples during the dry and rainy seasons across 14 ha of potentially contaminated sites and natural forests, in the vicinities of the Native community of San Jacinto in Madre de Dios, Peru. Soil Hg levels of areas impacted by ASGM (0.02 ± 0.02 mg kg-1) were generally below soil environmental quality standards (6.60 mg kg-1). However, they showed high variability, mainly explained by the type of natural cover vegetation, soil organic matter (SOM), clay and sand particles. Temporal trends in Hg levels in soils between seasons differed between landscape units distinguished in the mine spoils. During the rainy season, Hg levels decreased up to 45.5% in uncovered soils, while in artificial pond sediments Hg increased by up to 961%. During the dry season, uncovered degraded soils were more prone to lose Hg than sites covered by vegetation, mainly due to higher soil temperatures and concomitantly increasing volatilization. Soils from natural forests and degraded soil covered by regenerating vegetation showed a high capacity to retain Hg mainly due to the higher plant biomass, higher SOM, and increasing concentrations of clay particles. Disturbingly, our findings suggest high Hg mobility from gold mine spoil to close by sedimentary materials, mainly in artificial ponds through alluvial deposition and pluvial lixiviation. Thus, further research is needed on monitoring, and remediation of sediments in artificial to design sustainable land use strategies.

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Mercury (Hg) endangers human and wildlife health globally, primarily due to its release from artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM). During gold extraction, Hg is emitted into the environment and converted to highly toxic methylmercury by microorganisms. In Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru, ASGM dominates the economy and has transformed rainforests into expansive deforested areas punctuated by abandoned mining ponds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of bats as bioindicators for mercury pollution intensity in tropical terrestrial ecosystems impacted by ASGM. We collected 290 bat fur samples from three post-ASGM sites and one control site in Madre de Dios. Our results showed a wide Hg distribution in bats (0.001 to 117.71 mg/kg) strongly influenced by feeding habits. Insectivorous and piscivorous bats from ASGM sites presented elevated levels of Hg surpassing the mercury small mammal threshold for small mammals (10 mg/kg). We observed the highest reported fur mercury concentrations for insectivorous Neotropical bats reported to date (Rhynchonycteris naso, 117 mg/kg). Our findings further confirm that Hg emissions from ASGM are entering local food webs and exposing wildlife species at several trophic levels to higher levels of Hg than in areas not impacted by mining. We also found that three bat genera consistently showed increased Hg levels in ASGM sites relative to controls indicating potential usefulness as bioindicators of mercury loading in terrestrial ecosystems impacted by artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

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We report here the immature stages and natural host plants for three species in the so-called "Taygetis clade" of the nymphalid butterfly subtribe Euptychiina, Taygetis echo (Cramer, 1775), Taygetis sosis Hopffer, 1874, and Pseudodebis valentina (Cramer, 1779). The study was carried out at Finca Las Piedras in Madre de Dios department, Peru. Taygetis echo was observed utilizing a species of herbaceous bamboo, Olyra latifolia L. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae), T. sosis was found feeding on another species of herbaceous bamboo, Pariana lunata Nees (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae), and P. valentina was found utilizing a species of woody bamboo, Guadua weberbaueri Pilg. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae). We describe and provide photos of the immatures and host plants, as well as illustrations of the head capsules for each of these three species.

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Background: Studies have shown elevated blood lead levels (BLL) in residents of remote communities in the Amazon, yet sources of lead exposure are not fully understood, such as lead ammunition consumed in wild game. Methods: Data was collected during two cross-sectional studies that enrolled 307 individuals in 26 communities. Regression models with community random effects were used to evaluate risk factors for BLLs, including diet, water source, smoking, sex, age, and indigenous status. The All-Ages Lead Model (AALM) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was used to estimate background and dose from wild game consumption. Findings: Indigenous status and wild game consumption were associated with increased BLLs. Indigenous participants had 2.52 µg/dL (95% CI: 1.95-3.24) higher BLLs compared to non-indigenous. Eating wild game was associated with a 1.41 µg/dL (95% CI: 1.20-1.70) increase in BLLs. Two or more portions per serving were associated with increased BLLs of 1.66 µg/dL (95% CI: 1.10-2.57), compared to smaller servings. Using the AALM, we estimate background lead exposures to be 20 µg/day with consumption of wild game contributing 500 µg/meal. Lastly, we found a strong association between BLLs and mercury exposure. Interpretation: Consumption of wild game hunted with lead ammunition may pose a common source of lead exposure in the Amazon. Communities that rely on wild game and wild fish may face a dual burden of exposure to lead and mercury, respectively.

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Peru is one of the great gold producers worldwide. However, a significant portion of the gold produced in Peru derives from artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Andes and Amazon. In ASGM, gold amalgamation with mercury (Hg) is a critical procedure to refine gold through the formation of Au-Hg alloys. Due to the rudimentary and improvised techniques conducted by small-scale and informal miners, Hg contamination has become of great concern and is strictly associated with ASGM. Multiple studies have evidenced notably high concentrations of Hg in consumable fish species, rivers, sediments, and air in locations where ASGM is one of the main sources of income to local communities and is carried out aggressively. In the present review, we have conducted a systematic search for national and international literature reporting the concentration and distribution of Hg pollution across environmental compartments, biota, and human samples in Peru. The results and data retrieved from the articles were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed, and the distribution of Hg across environmental compartments was visualized through a geographic information system. Additionally, we reviewed the use of adsorption techniques as alternatives to treat Hg0 vapor from the gold shop and smelter flues, one of the main sources of hazardous levels of Hg exposure.

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Deforestation, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and the rapid development related to highway expansion cause opportunities for toxic trace element exposure in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios (MDD), Peru, one of the most biologically diverse places in the world. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury among adults in Madre de Dios. In total, 418 adult (18+ years) participants in the Investigacion de Migracion, Ambiente, y Salud (IMAS) (Migration, Environment, and Health Study) participated in this study. Consent, survey data, and biospecimens were collected between August and November 2014. Nail elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry. Differences by selected individual and household characteristics and local land uses were tested using one-way ANOVAs and linear mixed models. Adults in ASGM-affected areas had higher nail arsenic and nail cadmium than their non-ASGM counterparts. Higher household fish consumption was positively associated with nail mercury and nail lead. The results indicate that adult exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury is heterogeneous across Madre de Dios, and the exposures related to ASGM communities and fish consumption suggest that exposures from artisanal and small-scale mining are environmentally widespread. Further investigation is warranted to ascertain potential health impacts.

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the primary global source of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions and a large source of landscape change. ASGM occurs throughout the world, including in the Peruvian Amazon. This data set contains measurements of surface water, precipitation, throughfall, leaves, sediment, soil, and air samples from across the Madre de Dios region of Peru, in locations near and remote from ASGM. These data were collected to determine the fate and transport of Hg across the landscape. Samples were collected in 2018 and 2019. Data predominantly included total Hg and methyl Hg concentrations in surface water, precipitation, throughfall, leaves, sediment, soil, and air. Additional water and soil parameters were also measured to better characterize their chemistry. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publication.

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In this paper, we have tried to integrate a biography with the greatest data that we were able to obtain about the life of the Military Physician and Surgeon Ignacio Fernández de Córdova (1777-1816). For this purpose, we undertook the task of investigating the parish archives of the State of Guanajuato and Michoacán, as well as examining the bibliography on the subject. In the same way, it was possible to determine his degree of studies and the places where he did them. We know that he was briefly a member of Hidalgo's troops, and that in his native Valladolid/Morelia he was director of the San Juan de Dios Hospital. On the other hand, in short, an incomprehensible doubt has been elucidated: Fernández de Córdova was the first fabulist in Mexico, and the first formal one in the American Continent; for the glory of the New Hispanic guild of the times of the Enlightenment.

En el presente artículo hemos tratado de integrar una biografía con los mayores datos que nos fue posible obtener sobre la vida del médico y cirujano militar Ignacio Fernández de Córdova (1777-1816). Para tal efecto nos dimos a la tarea de indagar en archivos parroquiales del Estado de Guanajuato y Michoacán, así como examinar la bibliografía concerniente al tema. De igual manera, fue asequible determinar su grado de estudios y los lugares donde los efectuó. Sabemos que brevemente militó en las tropas de Hidalgo y que en su natal Valladolid/Morelia fue director del Hospital de San Juan de Dios. Por otra parte, en definitiva, se ha dilucidado una incomprensible duda: Fernández de Córdova fue el primer fabulista de México y el primero formal del Continente Americano, para gloria del gremio novohispano de los tiempos de la Ilustración.

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A monographic contribution is presented on the species of the genus Calleida Dejean, 1825 at the BIOLAT Biological Station, Rio Manu, Pakitza, Peru, sampled by Terry Erwin and his co-workers. The following seven new species are described: C. solitaria sp. nov., C. manuensis sp. nov., C. anomala sp. nov., C. demathani sp. nov. (type locality: Peru, Tarapoto, but sampled also at Rio Manu), C. erwini sp. nov., C. marginithorax sp. nov., and C. maxima sp. nov. Relationships of each species are discussed, and a preliminary survey is presented of the genus Calleida in Peru.

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O artigo surge de uma pesquisa, de viés psicanalítico, desenvolvida no programa de pós-graduação em Psicologia, que investiga a indagação formulada por Lacan, ao abordar em O Seminário XX, Mais, Ainda, o gozo feminino e a nominação Deus. O Deus freudiano ao ser interpretado, pela psicanálise, enquanto neurose universal da humanidade é franqueado enquanto Objeto a na clínica lacaniana. Há uma distinção importante no contexto epistemológico de Freud e Lacan que configura suas elaborações dos enunciados religiosos. Em duas partes, o autor faz, na primeira, uma leitura do que ele chama de contingência Deus e a religião nos ensaios de Freud, para situar seu modo de lidar com a emergência do Deus-Pai na clínica. E, num segundo momento, bordeja-se a inovação de Lacan, no seu último ensino, percebendo a face Deus como um dito que recobre o real de um gozo Outro.

The article arises from a research, psychoanalytic bias, which investigates the question formulated by Lacan, when discussing feminine enjoyment and the nomination of God in The Seminar XX. The Freudian God, being deposed by psychoanalysis, as the universal neurosis of humanity, is granted as an Object in the Lacanian clinic. There is an important distinction in the epistemological context of Freud and Lacan that configures his elaborations of the religious statements. In two parts, the author makes a first reading of what he calls contingency God and religion in Freud's essays, to situate his way of dealing with the emergence of the Father-God in the clinic. And, in a second moment, Lacan's innovation is bordered on in his last teaching, perceiving the face God as a saying that covers the real of an Other enjoyment.

El artículo surge de una búsqueda, de sesgo psicoanalítico, que investiga la indagación formulada por Lacan, al abordar en El Seminario XX, Más Aún, el goce femenino y la nominación Dios. El Dios freudiano al ser interpretado, por el psicoanálisis, mientras neurosis universal de la humanidad es franqueado como Objeto a en la clínica lacaniana. Hay una distinción importante en el contexto epistemológico de Freud y Lacan que configura sus elaboraciones de los enunciados religiosos. En dos partes, el autor hace, en la primera, una lectura de lo que él llama la contingencia Dios y la religión en los ensayos de Freud, para situar su modo de enfrentarse con la emergencia del Dios-Padre en la clínica. Y, en un segundo momento, se bordea la innovación de Lacan, en su última enseñanza, percibiendo la cara Dios como un dicho que recubre el real de un goce Otro.

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INTRODUCTION: Distal Intestinal Obstruction Syndrome is a rare complication in patients with cystic fibrosis, which characterized by the accumulation of viscid fecal material, combined with sticky mucous secretions located in the distal ileum adhere to the intestinal wall, causing complete bowel obstruction. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a 45 years old patient with cystic fibrosis, who presented bowel obstruction secondary to accumulation of fecal material, combined with mucous secretions, in the mid-jejunum. A diagnostic laparoscopy was performed where a dilated jejunum was encountered with impaction of fecal content. Surgery was converted to open surgery, where a longitudinal enterotomy of 5 cm after the transition zone was created, evacuating manually the fecal material with mucous secretion. The patient evolved favorably, without complications. DISCUSSION: We present a case of a patient with cystic fibrosis presenting with bowel obstruction due to a proximal intestinal obstruction syndrome, which can be diagnosed with the DIOS definition, with the only distinction of a more proximal location in the gastrointestinal tract, such as the stomach, the duodenum, or the jejunum. CONCLUSION: It is important for the clinician to know the existence of this syndrome at its different locations in the small bowel to treat accordingly.

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Mercury negatively affects human and animal health. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining can be a major local source of mercury contamination, especially into aquatic systems in tropical areas. Animals associated with mercury-contaminated aquatic systems are at high risk of experiencing effects of this heavy metal, but it is not clear how far the effects may extend into nearby terrestrial systems. We report mercury contamination levels in bats in agricultural areas at increasing distances from gold mining (~3-89 km of distance). We hypothesized that bat mercury concentrations would differ between feeding guilds, land use types, and be higher at sites closer to gold mining areas. We collected 112 fur samples from 30 bat species and eight guilds, and provide the first reports of concentrations in 12 species. All mercury concentrations were below the level at which health is likely to be affected (10 ppm). We found guild-influenced differences among mercury concentration levels, with the highest concentrations in aerial insectivores and carnivores, and the lowest in canopy frugivores. Our results suggest insectivorous and carnivorous bats may still be at some risk even at sites distant from aquatic mercury contamination. We did not find an effect of agricultural land-use type on mercury concentrations within species or guilds, suggesting mercury contamination did not extend to agricultural sites from areas of gold mining activities, and that these agricultural activities themselves were not an important source of mercury. We conclude bats did not demonstrate a signature of mercury risk either as a result of proximity of gold mining, or as a result of agricultural activities.

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We described herein a new Hemigrammus from the río Madre de Dios and rio Mamoré basins in southeastern Peru and Bolivia. The new species possess a color pattern similar to those belonging to the Hemigrammus lunatus species-group, i.e., a broad longitudinal dark stripe across the eye and a conspicuous, narrow dark stripe along the anal-fin basis. It can be easily diagnosed from the species belonging to this group by presenting the combination of the following characters: an oval, horizontally elongated humeral blotch, 6-7 upper branch and 10-12 lower branch gill-rakers, up to five cusps on broader maxillary teeth, and by lacking a midlateral dark stripe. Comments on its putative relationships are provided. Additionally, we updated the geographical distribution of Hemigrammus lunatus and H. machadoi based on an exhaustive survey of material deposited in collections. [Species Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2ED5D61-8434-4A0F-BC5B-B496FB3DC191].

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En el presente trabajo se da a conocer el avistamiento de un individuo de la paloma picazuró, Patagioenas picazuro en la Reserva Ecológica Taricaya en la zona de amortiguamiento de la Reserva Nacional Tambopata a 26 kilómetros al noreste de la ciudad de Puerto Maldonado en el margen derecho del río Madre de Dios, provincia de Tambopata, departamento de Madre de Dios. Esta observación corresponde al primer registro confirmado para Perú como una especie errante. Es probable que la expansión de esta especie se deba a la deforestación e incremento de zonas de cultivo en la zona.

In this note, I report an observation of one individual of Picazuro Pigeon, Patagioenas picazuro on the right bank of the Madre de Dios River in the Taricaya Ecological Reserve, 26 km northeast of Puerto Maldonado city, province of Tambopata, department of Madre de Dios. This observation is the first confirmed record of P. picazuro for Peru. The presence of P. picazuro in Peru could be due to deforestation and an increase of croplands in the study area.

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Background: Poor nutritional status combined with mercury exposure can generate adverse child health outcomes. Diet is a mediator of mercury exposure and evidence suggests that nutritional status modifies aspects of mercury toxicity. However, health impacts beyond the nervous system are poorly understood. This study evaluates antibody responses to six vaccines from the expanded program on immunization (EPI), including hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria in children with variable hair mercury and malnutrition indicators. Methods: An observational cohort study (n = 98) was conducted in native and non-native communities in Madre de Dios, Peru, a region with elevated mercury exposure from artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Adaptive immune responses in young (3⁻48 months) and older children (4⁻8 year olds) were evaluated by vaccine type (live attenuated, protein subunits, toxoids) to account for differences in response by antigen, and measured by total IgG concentration and antibody (IgG) concentrations of each EPI vaccine. Mercury was measured from hair samples and malnutrition determined using anthropometry and hemoglobin levels in blood. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate associations with each antibody type. Results: Changes in child antibodies and protection levels were associated with malnutrition indicators, mercury exposure, and their interaction. Malnutrition was associated with decreased measles and diphtheria-specific IgG. A one-unit decrease in hemoglobin was associated with a 0.17 IU/mL (95% CI: 0.04⁻0.30) decline in measles-specific IgG in younger children and 2.56 (95% CI: 1.01⁻6.25) higher odds of being unprotected against diphtheria in older children. Associations between mercury exposure and immune responses were also dependent on child age. In younger children, one-unit increase in log10 child hair mercury content was associated with 0.68 IU/mL (95% CI: 0.18⁻1.17) higher pertussis and 0.79 IU/mL (95% CI: 0.18⁻1.70) higher diphtheria-specific IgG levels. In older children, child hair mercury content exceeding 1.2 µg/g was associated with 73.7 higher odds (95% CI: 2.7⁻1984.3) of being a non-responder against measles and hair mercury content exceeding 2.0 µg/g with 0.32 IU/mL (95% CI: 0.10⁻0.69) lower measles-specific antibodies. Log10 hair mercury significantly interacted with weight-for-height z-score, indicating a multiplicative effect of higher mercury and lower nutrition on measles response. Specifically, among older children with poor nutrition (WHZ = -1), log10 measles antibody is reduced from 1.40 to 0.43 for low (<1.2 µg/g) vs. high mercury exposure, whereas for children with good nutritional status (WHZ = 1), log10 measles antibody is minimally changed for low vs. high mercury exposure (0.72 vs. 0.81, respectively). Conclusions: Child immune response to EPI vaccines may be attenuated in regions with elevated mercury exposure risk and exacerbated by concurrent malnutrition.

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O artigo conceitua o Arquétipo da Sombra como o Arquétipo do Mal na Psicologia Simbólica Junguiana e busca integrá-lo como expressão do Arquétipo Central, ao lado do Arquétipo do Bem. A interpretação de Jung da limitação da imagem de Jeovah na relação com Job é aqui continuada com o reconhecimento do sadismo do Deus patriarcal, que necessita do filicídio sacrificial para transformar-se no Deus da compaixão e do entendimento, pois só assim se tornará a Trindade e expressará o Arquétipo da Alteridade. Em conclusão, o autor segue Jung na interpretação do Apoccomo a Sombra do Novo Testamento e chama a atenção para o texto ser escrito em nome de Jesus, o que sugere a integração do símbolo do Anticristo no mito, como a Sombra de Jesus. ■

The article conceives the archetype of shadow as the archetype of evil in Jungian Symbolic Psychology and tries to interpret it as an expression of the central archetype (Self) side by side with the archetype of good. Jung's interpretation of Jehovah's limitation in the relationship with Job is followed by the recognition of the patriarchal sadism within the Godhead which needs the sacrifice of the Son to be transformed in the God of compassion and understanding because only so will it become the Trinity capable of expressing the archetype of alterity. In conclusion, the author follows Jung in the interpretation of the Apocalypse as the shadow of the New Testament and calls attention for Jesus' shadow expressed in His name as symbol of the integration of the Anti-Christ in the myth. ■

El artículo conceptualiza el Arquetipo de la Sombra como el Arquetipo del Mal en la Psicología Simbólica Junguiana y busca integrarlo como expresión del Arquetipo Central, al lado del Arquetipo del Bien. La interpretación de Jung de la limitación de la imagen de Jeovah en la relación con Job es aquí continuada con el reconocimiento del sadismo del Dios patriarcal, que necesita del filicidio sacrificial para transformarse en el Dios de la compasión y del entendimiento, pues sólo así se convertirá en la Trinidad y expresará el Arquetipo de la Alteridad. En conclusión, el autor sigue a Jung en la interpretación del Apocalipsis como la Sombra del Nuevo Testamento y llama la atención sobre el texto ser escrito en el nombre de Jesús, lo que sugiere la integración del símbolo del Anticristo en el mito, como la Sombra de Jesús. ■

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Madre de Dios, Peru, continues to expand rapidly, raising concerns about increases in loading of mercury (Hg) to the environment. We measured physicochemical parameters in water and sampled and analyzed sediments and fish from multiple sites along one ASGM-impacted river and two unimpacted rivers in the region to examine whether Hg concentrations were elevated and possibly related to ASGM activity. We also analyzed the 308 fish samples, representing 36 species, for stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) to estimate their trophic position. Trophic position was positively correlated with the log-transformed Hg concentrations in fish among all sites. There was a lack of relationship between Hg concentrations in fish and either Hg concentrations in sediments or ASGM activity among sites, suggesting that fish Hg concentrations alone is not an ideal bioindicator of site-specific Hg contamination in the region. Fish Hg concentrations were not elevated in the ASGM-impacted river relative to the other two rivers; however, sediment Hg concentrations were highest in the ASGM-impacted river. Degraded habitat conditions and commensurate shifts in fish species and ecological processes may influence Hg bioaccumulation in the ASGM-impacted river. More research is needed on food web dynamics in the region to elucidate any effects caused by ASGM, especially through feeding relationships and food sources.

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Mercury, a toxic trace metal, has been used extensively as an inexpensive and readily available method of extracting gold from fine-grained sediment. Worldwide, artisanal mining is responsible for one third of all mercury released into the environment. By testing bat hair from museum specimens and field collected samples from areas both impacted and unimpacted by artisanal gold mining in Perú, we show monomethylmercury (MMHg) has increased in the last 100 years. MMHg concentrations were also greatest in the highest bat trophic level (insectivores), and in areas experiencing extractive artisanal mining. Reproductive female bats had higher MMHg concentrations, and both juvenile and adult bats from mercury contaminated sites had more MMHg than those from uncontaminated sites. Bats have important ecological functions, providing vital ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Natural populations can act as environmental sentinels and offer the chance to expand our understanding of, and responses to, environmental and human health concerns.

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This study examines the role multilevel governance plays in the adoption of sustainable landscape management initiatives in emerging arrangements aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). It sheds light on the challenges these multiple layers of actors and interests encounter around such alternatives in a subnational jurisdiction. Through transcript analysis of 93 interviews with institutional actors in the region of Madre de Dios, Peru, particularly with regard to five sites of land-use change, we identified the multiple actors who are included and excluded in the decision-making process and uncovered their complex interactions in forest and landscape governance and REDD+ arrangements. Madre de Dios is a useful case for studying complex land-use dynamics, as it is home to multiple natural resources, a large mix of actors and interests, and a regional government that has recently experienced the reverberations of decentralization. Findings indicate that multiple actors shaped REDD+ to some extent, but REDD+ and its advocates were unable to shape land-use dynamics or landscape governance, at least in the short term. In the absence of strong and effective regional regulation for sustainable land use alternatives and the high value of gold on the international market, illegal gold mining proved to be a more profitable land-use choice. Although REDD+ created a new space for multilevel actor interaction and communication and new alliances to emerge, the study questions the prevailing REDD+ discourse suggesting that better coordination and cooperation will lead to integrated landscape solutions. For REDD+ to be able to play a role in integrated landscape governance, greater attention needs to be paid to grassroots actors, power and authority over territory and underlying interests and incentives for land-use change.

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