IMPACTS OF LAND USE IN COASTAL WETLAND DYNAMICS. A CASE OF STUDY: ETEN’S WETLAND, PERU

Currently, changes in climate and anthropogenic activities (such as urban expansion, livestock, and agriculture) alter the hydrology, biogeochemical cycles, and other processes that support wetlands and their ability to adapt to a dynamic environment. Consequently, the degradation of coastal wetlands results in the fragmentation of habitats, changes in water flow and the increase of pollutants in water bodies and soils. The main objective is to understand the morphodynamic and the water-sediment relationship of the Eten’s wetlands and to know the status of the quality of aquatic environments, in relation to anthropogenic pressures, such as the change in land use and the progress of The urbanization. As a result, a morphological baseline of the wetland landscape will be obtained that contributes to information for the development of a methodology that analyzes the changes in the dynamics of the Eten’s wetlands. Because the availability of information on coastal wetlands in Peru is still limited and, in many cases, difficult to access, this information will serve as a scientific basis for decision making regarding the management, use, and conservation of wetlands. coastal areas of Peru, according to the National Wetland Strategy. The following questions will be discussed: How has the landscape of the Eten’s wetlands changed over the past 30 years? How vulnerable are the Eten’s wetlands to anthropogenic pressures? and how can the results be integrated into sustainable management and monitoring plans? Preliminary results indicated that the hydrological dynamics of the river that originates the wetland was reduced with urbanization and the increase of agricultural activity, which generated the disconnection between surface water bodies, and field measurements also suggested the strong influence of anthropogenic activities on the quality of the aquatic environment and the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates.