The present study aimed to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb and Hg in soil and crops (banana and cassava) in areas abandoned by gold mining, southeast of the Peruvian Amazon. The concentration and bioaccumulation of heavy metals was analyzed, according to the plant organ (root, stem, leaf and fruit). Soil Hg concentrations (< 0.01 mg/kg) were found to be similar in contaminated and uncontaminated plantations; while the concentrations of As, Cd and Pb were higher in the contaminated ones. The concentrations of As, Pb and Cd in cassava and banana were higher in the contaminated plantations. In cassava, a high accumulation of Pb and As was found in the roots and stems (> 2.9 mg/kg). In banana fruits, the lowest concentrations of all the metals analyzed were found (< 0.01 mg/kg). The degree of bioaccumulation of As and Pb was intense for cassava in contaminated areas. The ...

The present study aimed to determine the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb and Hg in soil and crops (banana and cassava) in areas abandoned by gold mining, southeast of the Peruvian Amazon. The concentration and bioaccumulation of heavy metals was analyzed, according to the plant organ (root, stem, leaf and fruit). Soil Hg concentrations (< 0.01 mg/kg) were found to be similar in contaminated and uncontaminated plantations; while the concentrations of As, Cd and Pb were higher in the contaminated ones. The concentrations of As, Pb and Cd in cassava and banana were higher in the contaminated plantations. In cassava, a high accumulation of Pb and As was found in the roots and stems (> 2.9 mg/kg). In banana fruits, the lowest concentrations of all the metals analyzed were found (< 0.01 mg/kg). The degree of bioaccumulation of As and Pb was intense for cassava in contaminated areas. The ...

El estudio tuvo como objetivos evaluar los niveles de concentración de metales pesados y metaloides (Hg, Cd, As, Pb), realizar la caracterización fisicoquímica de los suelos agrícolas, comparar los niveles de metales pesados encontrados con los estándares nacionales e internacionales, determinar el índice de bioacumulación de metales pesados en suelos y productos agrícolas de las zonas de La Pastora y control (Km 10 carretera Tambopata). Se tomó al azar de 0,5 hectáreas 6 muestras de suelo para dos tipos de cultivo: yuca y plátano, en los que se realizaron la caracterización fisicoquímica y textural de los suelos agrícolas de la zona La Pastora en plantaciones de yuca, teniendo como resultados que son suelos de pH ácido, de baja conductividad eléctrica, textura de un suelo franco limoso y alto contenido de materia orgánica, en la plantación de plátano se tuvo el pH men...

Fire is one of the significant drivers of vegetation loss and threat to Amazonian landscapes. It is estimated that fires cause about 30% of deforested areas, so the severity level is an important factor in determining the rate of vegetation recovery. Therefore, the application of remote sensing to detect fires and their severity is fundamental. Radar imagery has an advantage over optical imagery because radar can penetrate clouds, smoke, and rain and can see at night. This research presents algorithms for mapping the severity level of burns based on change detection from Sentinel-1 backscatter data in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. Absolute, relative, and Radar Forest Degradation Index (RDFI) predictors were used through singular polarization length (dB) patterns (Vertical, Vertical-VV and Horizontal, Horizontal-HH) of vegetation and burned areas. The Composite Burn Index (CBI) determ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the contamination of surface waters in the urban periphery of Puerto Maldonado (Peruvian Amazon), using biological, physicochemical, and microbiological analyses. The water samples were collected in six water bodies (two rivers, three streams and one lake). The physicochemical parameters of each study site did not exceed the limits of the Peruvian Environmental Quality Standard (ECA), except for dissolved oxygen in rivers near urban areas. Pollution of water resources is related to raw sewage and rainwater runoff. Thus, the highest points of faecal contamination were in rivers near urban areas, exceeding the threshold established by the ECA for the conservation of the aquatic environment (CFU ml-1 >2000). In the Madre de Dios River, the concentration of faecal coliforms exceeded the maximum allowed by the ECA by 75 fold, indicating that the Tambop...

In the southeastern Peruvian Amazon, small-scale and artisanal gold mining has become a common activity and represents one of the greatest threats to forests. The study evaluated the natural regeneration of vegetation and the physicochemical properties of the soil for a chronosequence in Madre de Dios (Peru). Fourteen plots of 250 m2 were installed, distributed across areas with abandonment times varying from 2 to 19 years. All stems with a diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm in each plot were recorded and classified according to size categories (saplings, poles, and trees). We recorded 1023 individuals distributed in 80 species and 27 families. The most abundant families were Fabaceae, Annonaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Inga thibaudiana, Ochroma pyramidale, and Cecropia membranacea were present in all three size categories. The plots exhibited high heterogeneity, with medium diversity and ver...