Emergy evaluation of ecological sustainability in Cananguchales (Mauritia flexuosa): A biocountable approach in the Amazonian foothills.

Authors

Víctor Julio Balanta Martínez, Oscar Fabian Patiño Perdomo, Faver Álvarez

Published in

PloS one. Volume 21. Issue 9. Pages e0358076. Epub Sep 25, 2026.

Abstract

Cananguchales, forested wetlands dominated by Mauritia flexuosa, are strategic ecosystems in the Amazonian foothills due to their contribution to ecosystem goods and services. However, their high vulnerability to climate variability and the progressive degradation caused by the global crisis demand new tools for their valuation and sustainable management. This study evaluated the ecological sustainability of Cananguchales through emergy indicators that allow biocountable monitoring of the efficiency and performance of their ecological wealth. Indicators of Ecological Loading, Sustainable Emergy, Investment, Yield, and Renewability were applied within a non-experimental design using a quantitative, applied, and deductive-projective approach. Using ecological data and energy flow equations, values were estimated in joules, later transformed into solar emergy joules and emergy-based US dollars using standardized factors. The results showed a high proportion of renewable energy inputs (>99%) over five consecutive years, demonstrating high energy efficiency and ecological stability. A unified biocountable structure was established for these wetlands. The emergy indicators applied here are established tools; the contribution of the study lies at the level of accounting recognition, namely the integration of emergy synthesis into a formal double-entry biocountable structure in which ecological flows are recognised as debit assets and credit liabilities and closed into an ecological equity balance. It is concluded that this accounting-recognition structure provides an operational route for objectively valuing strategic ecosystems and guiding decisions towards their conservation and sustainability in the Amazonian context.

PMID:
42789687
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Sep 2026.

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