SOBRE LA NECESIDAD DE DESCENTRALIZACIÓN Y DIVERSIFICACIÓN DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN EN HUMEDALES COSTEROS PERUANOS

Abstract

On the Peruvian coast, wetlands are ecosystems of great importance for local biodiversity and the surrounding human population. These ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the impact of anthropic activities and climate change, causing the reduction and fragmentation of these spaces. We aim to identify characteristics of the research on Peruvian coastal wetlands, emphasizing their distribution by wetland and region, and the topics that have been studied. To do this, we searched for published investigations in indexed journals among the years 2001 and 2020 using online databases. A hundred and seventy-two papers on Peruvian coastal wetlands were found; the results of the analysis showed three main patterns: a) centralization in the Lima and Callao regions, b) greater research development in coastal wetlands protected by the state and c) greater study of birds' fauna and flora (mainly as species lists). We consider it necessary to decentralize research towards less studied regions, wetlands and subject areas, allowing to have a better overview of the diversity and needs of these coastal ecosystems.