Limnology Of High Andean Lentic Ecosystems

The livelihoods of many people in developing countries depend to a large extent on intact and functioning wetlands. Water quality and permanence have been identified as important factors affecting the diversity and abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates in these ecosystems. However, the pressures they have been enduring make them increasingly fragile and call for the generation of timely and reliable information on their current state. In Peru, high Andean wetlands continue to be the least studied and represent one of the most threatened ecosystems. The decline in water quality that these ecosystems have been experiencing due to inadequate management, despite the fact that they play a fundamental role in human well-being and the maintenance of ecological balance, requires a more integrated knowledge of the various processes that occur.