UGent alumni and current postdoc from Hong Kong University (HKU), Iván Loaiza Alamo has published an article related to the metal contamination in Peruvian marine ecosystems as the last chapter (i.e. Discussion chapter) of his PhD, which was obtained as a joint PhD of Ghent University (UGent) and University of Antwerpen in 2020.
This article summarizes the available information to estimate the environmental health status (EHS) of Peruvian marine ecosystems. Based on the main findings, none of the studied Peruvian marine ecosystems could be rated as EHS-good, and the southernmost locations showed the most degraded conditions and a low EHS. Environmental contamination and stressors are reaching the Peruvian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), therefore the management of coastal marine areas and MPAs in Peru should be urgently re-formulated. This study also identifies the optimal bio-monitoring approach in the current economic situation in Peru, and how marine research studies can support adjacent fields, e.g. nutrition (i.e. PUFA intakes) and human health.
This study was carried out with infrastructure for fatty acid analyses funded by EMBRC Belgium. Learn more about the EMBRC Belgium services here.
Full reference: Loaiza, I., De Boeck, G., & De Troch, M. (2022). Peruvian marine ecosystems under metal contamination: First insights for marine species consumption and sustainable management. Science of The Total Environment, 154132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154132
