How healthy is the coast of the Province of Buenos Aires?

Humans interact with the coastal environment in many ways. As a consequence of such interaction, biodiversity decreases, habitats are fragmented, atmospheric changes take place and the emergency increases; while there is a resurgence and transmission of diseases on wildlife and humans alike. The higher population within the coastal environment increases the potential for exposure of people to environmental risks. Effects on coastal health and its consequences to public health can be significant and life threatening. Thus, the mutual interaction of coastal ecosystems and human systems requires focused scientific attention.
Human activities exert strong pressure on the Buenos Aires coast. The quick and unplanned growth of the area has caused urban environmental deterioration. Population increase in coastal areas and pressures for commercial exploitation and lack of alternative resources affect important areas for local marine biodiversity. Many of these species are indicators of the overall health of the coastal ecosystem.

Objectives:

The main objective is to get tools to assess ecological health, to identify problems, and to characterize sources of environmental degradation on the Buenos Aires coast. Health indicators are needed for early warning diagnosis purposes.