Air quality loss in urban centers of the Argentinean Dry Chaco: Wind and dust control as two scientifically neglected ecosystem services

Abstract

The Dry Chaco is one of the most active agriculture frontiers, which imposes trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services (ES). Most studies analyze real or potential supply of ES associated to land use change; but they usually neglect ES social demands. Interviews to inhabitants of small urban centers in the Argentinean Dry Chaco revealed that wind speed control and dust control are high valued ES in towns within agricultural contexts. The absence of such perception in forest context towns, and the presence of vegetation covering soil during the windy and dry season support such demand. Loss of air quality –as an agricultural disservice- is a socially perceived ES so far ignored in the environmental research agenda, which should be reversed.