Abstract
The health status of wetlands depends to a large extent on the permanence and quality of water. However, natural and anthropogenic pressures on these ecosystems are transforming them and driving them to generate timely and reliable information. The aim of this study is to provide a review of water quality indices used to assess the health status of high mountain wetlands. To this end, an exhaustive search was initially carried out for studies with significant contributions to the knowledge of high mountain wetlands in Peru. In total, 90 articles on wetlands published in the last decade (2007-2017) were reviewed through bibliographic managers, of which 25% corresponded to wetland studies in Peru and of these only 6% to water quality in high Andean wetlands.
Highlights
Livelihoods in developing countries are highly dependent on intact and functioning wetlands
The aim of this study is to provide a review of water quality indices used to assess the health status of high mountain wetlands
90 articles on wetlands published in the last decade (2007-2017) were reviewed through bibliographic managers, of which 25% corresponded to wetland studies in Peru and of these only 6% to water quality in high Andean wetlands
Summary
Livelihoods in developing countries are highly dependent on intact and functioning wetlands. Permanency and water quality have been identified as factors that affect the structure and composition of biological communities [1]; as well as the services provided by these ecosystems (groundwater recharge, flood water retention, static baseflow contributions, biogeochemical processing, improved water quality and wildlife habitat) [2] These factors responsible for maintaining the integrity of aquatic ecosystems are strongly influenced by pop-. Studies on the overall extent of wetlands, especially in South Asia and South America, show that wetlands have declined by 6% in just 14 years (de 1993 a 2007) due to continued and disorderly urban growth [5] These changes have generated in recent decades the need to better assess and manage the cumulative effects of human interventions on wetlands [6] [7] [8] [9]. The use of biological communities to assess the ecological status of water bodies has become a major component of water-related legislation worldwide [10] [11], as they provide a quantifiable response to various environmental disturbances [12]
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