Human impact in the Ria Formosa lagoon

Bebianno, M. J.; Pedro, Patricia; Serafim, Angela; Lopes, Belisandra; Newton, Alice

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14033

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Abstract(s)

The Ria Formosa lagoon is a complex, economic, social-ecological system that provides valuable ecosystem services and benefits for the region. Nevertheless, the presence of hazardous substances such as metals, persistent organic compounds (POPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and emerging contaminants, including personal care products (PCPs) and pharmaceutical compounds, is a cause of concern for the sustainability of the lagoon. It can be concluded that the Ria Formosa lagoon is in danger, therefore management decisions need to be taken to reduce discharges and enable remediation. These will both protect and depollute, in order to decrease the impact of the mixtures of hazard substances and improve economic sustainability in the future.