No abstract

Management success of urban water bodies depends on public perceptions among other factors, because opinions and attitudes can be used to identify problems and also to evaluate the implementation of rehabilitation programs. The aim of this study was to explore the environmental perception of residents living along streams of one of the most polluted watersheds in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in view of future rehabilitation programs. During 2012 and 2013, 276 door-to-door surveys were carried out randomly and were analyzed regarding two perspectives: differences in perception with respect to (1) their position in the watershed, and (2) the distance from the watercourses where they reside. In general, residents' perceptions were highly influenced by what they saw or smelled. Although they did not value the watercourses for their wildlife or scenery and did not use them for recreation, they would like them to be improved. Three main topics were relevant: (1) the type of experience they had with the streams near their homes, (2) the recognition that riverbanks have a potential for recreation, and (3) the desire and individual commitment to improve the critical environmental condition. These results have implications for environmental management and, particularly, for the implementation of riparian rehabilitation projects.

The development of the science and practice of restoration ecology in Argentina can be divided into three periods. The first was 1992-2004, characterized by isolated restoration efforts, mostly in arid and dry ecosystems, and engaging specific people in the academic, agro-technological, and private sectors as partially required by national regulations, but also inspired by the 1992 Earth Summit, the 1994 Amendments of the Constitutional Law, and environmental guidelines from investment entities. The second period of 2005-2010 showed significantly greater involvement in international networking and conference contributions. The current period from 2011-present has witnessed rapid advances and national integration. The country's network Red de Restauración Ecológica de Argentina (REA) was founded in 2012, with seven subnational nodes. In 2014, the 2nd REA symposium was held to determine priority areas for restoration and to generate a National Plan. Public agencies, NGOs and volunteer groups are now actively engaged stakeholders. In 2013 Argentina became a founder member of SIACRE (Sociedad Ibero-Americana y del Caribe para la Restauración Ecológica) and is organizing SIACRE's 4th international conference (April 2015; Buenos Aires). Restoration ecology in Argentina is ascendant because of long-term efforts relatedto strengthening democracy, people initiatives, and strong support from SIACRE, SER (Society for Ecological Restoration), SER-Europe, and the national networks of Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile. Moreover, Argentina is now the first country to have updated its Civil Code by integrating the environment as a "legal good," which reinforces the citizens' rights to demand the implementation of degradation prevention and/or ecosystem restoration measures.

Compact urbanization is the main strategy for sustainable urban development. However, it is yet unclear whether compact urban forms are ecologically more favourable than dispersed ones. In this paper, we studied the effects of urban sprawl on the riparian vegetation condition in one of the most degraded watersheds in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, Argentina. We conducted random sampling of the riparian vegetation at sites along streams in the basin and assessed urban indicators at the reach and sub‐watershed scales for each of those sites in a geographic information system: urban area, impervious surface, population density and two landscape metrics of dispersion. The indicators assessed explained a high proportion of the variability of the vegetation response variables, thereby confirming the importance of urban sprawl pressure in shaping riparian communities in fluvial ecosystems. Dispersed urbanization had more positive than negative effects on the vegetation in the study area. Riverbanks associated with dispersed urbanization had more plant species, including exotics, when urban sprawl was assessed at the local scale. At the sub‐watershed scale, dispersed urbanized areas were richer in native plants and most of the functional groups, and poorer in exotic species. The model of the compact city, including bio‐corridors along watercourses, has been proposed for the Buenos Aires conurbation process for the next decades. Our results showed that the quality of existing river corridors across the compact matrix was not desirable and best practices for redesigning a more sustainable landscape structure are necessary, including the restoration of habitats for wetland species. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.