Impact of pollution on the biodiversity of the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove swamp in the world.

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Main researcher: Maria Assumpció Borrell Thió

Institution: Universitat de Barcelona

Description:
Chemical pollution is one of the major global threats affecting river and sea water today. Industrial, agricultural and urban waste are dumped into the sea through rivers and the atmosphere, which leads to a considerable increase in pollution and a progressive degradation of the aquatic ecosystems, which especially affects deltas and the coastal strip. Many chemical compounds are considered to be persistently pollutant (e.g. organochlorates and heavy metals) due to their chemical stability and their resistance to degradation. These substances have the ability to concentrate in organic material and accumulate throughout the trophic chains, particularly affecting the species that occupy the highest trophic levels and representing a serious risk to human health.

One of the ecosystems that is most strongly affected by pollution from persistent pollutants are mangrove swamps, as they are found at the low part of rivers and, through surface run-off water, they collect the pollution of the whole of the basin feeding them.
Mangrove swamps are critical systems for significant segments of the biodiversity and, given their high productivity, they also generally sustain significant human populations.

This project focuses on the assessment of the impact of pollution on the Sundarbans, the largest halophytic mangrove swamp in the world, which lies between India and Bangladesh. The project considers two complementary lines of action:

a) determining the levels of persistent chemical pollutants in different segments of the biodiversity, including both species that are key to the functioning of the mangrove swamp and others that are under threat, such as the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).

b) training local researchers in aspects of ecotoxicology. These researchers include some front-line specialists in mangrove swamp biology.

Sponsors of Research and preservation of the Zoo: