Effects of Multiple Stressors Associated with Land-Use Practices in the Percy-Corintos Basin (Northwest Chubut): An Ecological Assessment

MISERENDINO, MARÍA LAURA; WILLIAMS SUBIZA, EMILIO A.; MANZO, LUZ M.; HORAK, CRISTINA N.; BRAND, CECILIA; ASSEF, YANINA A.; EPELE, LUIS B.

Environmental Assessment of Patagonia's Water Resources

Springer

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2022; p. 1 - 26

Freshwater ecosystems are highly interactive with the processes that occurin the surrounding basin. Any alteration of either aquatic or terrestrial ecosystemscan potentially impact the structure, composition and functioning of aquatic communities. The Percy-Corintos Basin (northwestern Chubut Province) is subjected tomultiple land-uses including urbanization, deforestation, extensive and intensive livestock breeding, pasture conversion, and horticulture. These local processes have hadprofound effects on a regional scale, altering the water quality and biodiversity of themain watercourses and associated wetlands. Livestock breeding and wood collectionhave resulted in an important loss of forest cover in the upper Percy basin, whichhas in turn accelerated erosion processes, causing sedimentation at the lower sectionof the basin. Urbanization has resulted in strong organic pollution, habitat impoverishment, and has decreased macroinvertebrate biodiversity in Esquel Stream. Inpre-urban areas, constructed wetlands for flood prevention, act as novel environments which increase spatial heterogeneity, and consequently enhance macrophyteand aquatic invertebrate diversity. While urbanization in the lower Percy basin has amoderate effect on the river, agricultural activities like confined livestock breedingand horticulture are increasingly affecting the environmental and biological qualityof the Corintos River. Management and restoration actions are urgently needed inorder to restore the ecosystem functioning. The present study details and discussesspecific actions to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.