Environmental Conditions in the Estuarine Coast of Montevideo (Uruguay): Historical Aspects and Present Status: An Updated
Over the past 120 years, urban growth has been reaching extremely high rates worldwide. Human interaction with the ecosystem includes consumptive and nonconsumptive activities. The external supply of organic matter causes one of the most severe impacts on coastal marine environments. Montevideo City is currently suffering from the same environmental problems as other capital cities in the world, and its adjacent coastal zone has been influenced by anthropogenic alterations during the past 150 years. By integrating abiotic and biotic data, and using different statistical and ecological approaches, the coastal area of Uruguay close to Montevideo City has been classified into four zones with different environmental quality and degree of anthropogenic perturbation. In this area, several environmental problems and their impacts on economic productivity, human, and ecosystem health are the outcome of political and socioeconomical factors. Therefore, governmental authorities need to follow the concept of sustainable use and development, to preserve and optimize the ecological quality of natural resources, and to ensure the availability of this coastal ecosystem to future generations. Solutions to the conflictive uses of environment should be laid down on a solid scientific base to establish priorities and make the best decisions for its management and conservation.