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Mayor P, Soliño L, Cartró-Sabaté M, Orta-Martínez M. Impact of hydrocarbon extraction on heavy metal concentrations in lowland paca (Cuniculus paca) from the Peruvian Amazon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 930:172371. [PMID: 38631638 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Oil has been extracted from the Western Amazon since the 1920s, leading to severe environmental contamination due to frequent occurrence oil spills and the dumping of produced water. Local inhabitants, along with environmental and human rights organizations, have reported the adverse effects of oil-related pollution on their livelihoods and the ecosystems they depend on. Here, we study accumulation of oil-related heavy metals in wildlife, and its subsequent incorporation into the trophic chain. We analysed the concentration of 14 heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Hg, As, Ni, V, Ba, Se, Be, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Al) in liver samples from 78 lowland pacas (Cuniculus paca) hunted for subsistence in an oil-polluted area from the northern Peruvian Amazon where oil has been extracted since the 1970s (n = 38), and two control areas, the Yavari-Mirín River basin (n = 20), and the Pucacuro River basin (n = 20). Pacas in the oil-polluted area have significantly higher concentrations of Cd (P < 0.01) and Ba (P < 0.0001) compared to those in control areas, suggesting bioaccumulation of oil-related pollution. Conversely, Se levels were significantly lower in the oil-polluted area (P < 0.0001), likely due to the sequestration of Se by other heavy metals, particularly Cd. Additionally, minor variations in other heavy metals, e.g., Fe and Zn, were observed in pacas from the oil-polluted area, whereas control areas showed higher concentrations of Ni and Cu. Mn and Al levels did not significantly differ between the study areas. These results underscore the impact of oil extraction on the absorption and assimilation of heavy metals in wildlife, point at oil activities as the source of the high and unsafe blood Cd levels reported for the indigenous population of the studied oil extraction area and raise concerns about the long-term health risks from oil extraction posed to local Indigenous People who rely on subsistence hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Mayor
- Dept. Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Museo de Culturas Indígenas Amazónicas, Fundamazonia, Iquitos, Peru.
| | - Lucía Soliño
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Mar Cartró-Sabaté
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Martí Orta-Martínez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institute de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Menajovsky MF, Espunyes J, Ulloa G, Calderon M, Diestra A, Malaga E, Muñoz C, Montero S, Lescano AG, Santolalla ML, Cabezón O, Mayor P. Toxoplasma gondii in a Remote Subsistence Hunting-Based Indigenous Community of the Peruvian Amazon. Trop Med Infect Dis 2024; 9:98. [PMID: 38787031 PMCID: PMC11125861 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed9050098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects a wide variety range of warm-blooded animals. This study describes the epidemiological scenario of T. gondii in an indigenous community that relies on subsistence hunting in a well-conserved and isolated area of the Peruvian Amazon. The high seropositivity against T. gondii in humans (83.3% IgG and 6.1% IgM), wild mammals (30.45%, 17 species), peri-domestic rodents (10.0% Rattus sp.), and domestic animals (94.1% dogs and 100% cats) indicates the existence of a sylvatic cycle in the community under study. Individual age was found to be positively associated with IgG detection against T. gondii but not with IgM. It is estimated that each family consumed 5.67 infected animals per year with terrestrial species having higher infective rates than arboreal species. The main risk factors included improper handling and cooking of wild meat, poor hygiene practices, and feeding uncooked offal to domestic animals. This scenario results in a continuous process of infection and reinfection within the indigenous community with cats, dogs, and peri-domestic animals becoming infected through the ingestion of infected raw viscera. Our results emphasize the need to promote safe food handling practices and disposal of waste materials from hunted animals in such communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Fernanda Menajovsky
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
| | - Johan Espunyes
- Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (J.E.); (O.C.)
| | - Gabriela Ulloa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Produção Animal na Amazônia, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA), Belém 66077-830, PA, Brazil;
| | - Maritza Calderon
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15024, Peru; (M.C.); (A.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Andrea Diestra
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15024, Peru; (M.C.); (A.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Edith Malaga
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15024, Peru; (M.C.); (A.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Carmen Muñoz
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Stephanie Montero
- Emerge, Emerging Diseases and Climate Change Research Unit, School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15015, Peru; (S.M.); (A.G.L.); (M.L.S.)
| | - Andres G. Lescano
- Emerge, Emerging Diseases and Climate Change Research Unit, School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15015, Peru; (S.M.); (A.G.L.); (M.L.S.)
- Clima, Latin American Center of Excellence for Climate Change and Health, and Emerge, Emerging Diseases and Climate Change Research Unit, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15024, Peru
| | - Meddly L. Santolalla
- Emerge, Emerging Diseases and Climate Change Research Unit, School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima 15015, Peru; (S.M.); (A.G.L.); (M.L.S.)
| | - Oscar Cabezón
- Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; (J.E.); (O.C.)
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Pedro Mayor
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
- ComFauna, Comunidad de Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía y en Latinoamérica, Iquitos 16006, Peru
- Museo de Culturas Indígenas Amazónicas, Iquitos 16006, Peru
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Threat Analysis of Forest Fragmentation and Degradation for Peruvian Primates. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Peru has 55 primate taxa (including all species and subspecies), a third of which are threatened. The major drivers of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are grazing, forestry, agriculture and transport infrastructure. Other activities such as hunting exacerbate these threats. We assessed the threats from degradation and fragmentation facing Peruvian primates to aid in the design and implementation of mitigation strategies. Through GIS-based mapping, statistical modeling and specialist assessments, we evaluated all primate taxa using the IUCN Conservation Measures Partnership Unified Classifications of Direct Threats across five categories (direct threats to primates, threats to habitat, causes of fragmentation, factors exacerbating fragmentation and threats to primates and habitats as a consequence of fragmentation), highlighting which were most common and most severe. Our results showed that all primate taxa were affected by degradation and fragmentation in Peru. The most common and severe direct threat was hunting, whereas housing and urban development, smallholder crop farming, smallholder grazing and large-scale logging were the most common and severe threats across the other categories. The families Cebidae and Atelidae face the highest overall threat. Our analysis showed that the current IUCN listing of Leontocebus leucogenys [LC] underestimates the true threat level this species faces and that Lagothrix lagothricha tschudii [DD] should be listed under one of the threat categories. In Peru, the need for mitigating the threat of habitat fragmentation is clear. To ensure the survival of Peru’s diverse primate taxa, forest connectivity needs to be maintained or recovered through the protection and restoration of key areas considering their biological and social needs.
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Landscape-scale concordance between local ecological knowledge for tropical wild species and remote sensing of land cover. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116446119. [PMID: 36161957 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116446119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring the status of species is crucial for biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management in tropical forests, but conventional in situ monitoring methods are impractical over large scales. Scientists have resorted to two potentially complementary approaches: local ecological knowledge (LEK) and remote sensing. To gauge the potential of combining LEK and remote sensing for assessing species status at landscape scales, a large-scale assessment of the reliability of both measures is critical but hampered by the lack of ground-level data. We conducted a landscape-scale assessment of LEK and remote sensing, using a survey of over 900 communities (a near census in our study area) and nearly 4,000 households in 235 randomly selected communities in the Peruvian Amazon-the largest LEK survey as yet undertaken in tropical forests. The survey collected LEK data on the presence of 20 indicator species from both community leaders/elders and randomly sampled households. We assessed LEK and remotely sensed land cover-forest cover and nonmain channel open water-as proxies for species habitat, across species (game, fish, and timber), over time (current and historical), and by indigeneity (Indigenous peoples and mestizos). Overall, LEK and remotely sensed land cover corroborate each other well. Concordance is highest for the current status of game species reported by sampled households, as is the concordance of historical LEK from Indigenous community leaders/elders. The results point to the promise of combining LEK and remote sensing in monitoring the status of species in data-poor tropical forests.
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Dos Santos Morais BH, de Lima Cardoso D, da Silva Costa J, Mayor P, de Albuquerque NI, Chisté RC, de Araújo Guimarães DA. Use of wildlife as an alternative protein source: Collared peccary meat. Meat Sci 2022; 192:108895. [PMID: 35752060 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.108895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge on the nutritional and sensory characteristics of wild meat provides a better basis for its use as food, ultimately expanding studies in gastronomy areas and stimulating the development of new products. This review aims to present information on the use of wild meat, with a focus on collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu). The biological characteristics of collared peccaries are discussed, with a focus on the main aspects of their meat. Collared peccary meat has excellent nutritional value due to its high protein levels (18.25%), unsaturated fatty acids (51.6-57.8%), and tenderness, similar to other domestic animals, thereby stimulating the interest of a new product market. Despite the demand for this product, collared peccary meat is scarce and not readily available for commercialization. Further, public policies are needed to encourage the management of this species to add value to the development of a production chain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Deise de Lima Cardoso
- Graduate Program in Animal Health and Production, Federal Rural University of Amazônia, 66077-830 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Juliane da Silva Costa
- Graduate Program in Animal Science, Federal University of Pará, 68740-970 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Pedro Mayor
- Graduate Program in Animal Health and Production, Federal Rural University of Amazônia, 66077-830 Belém, Pará, Brazil; Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Edifici V, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Renan Campos Chisté
- Faculty of Food Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Diva Anélie de Araújo Guimarães
- Graduate Program in Animal Science, Federal University of Pará, 68740-970 Belém, Pará, Brazil; Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, 66075-110 Belém, Pará, Brazil.
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