Evaluation of the Ecological State and Biodiversity of Bentonic Macroinvertebrates in the upper basin of the PAute River and El Cajas National Park

The project is circumscribed within the El Cajas National Park area (PNC) and surrounding areas. Cooperation will be worked with the municipal telecommunications, drinking water, sewerage and sanitation (stage-EP) making use of the historical record of environmental variables available for the sampling points network in order to establish reference stations within a specific type of rivers. Likewise, field recognition outputs in the study area and historical records will recognize a gradient of existing human pressures and will be related to the structural and/or functional biological variables derived from the Macroinvertebrate community to obtain water quality levels and finally a water quality evaluation protocol. At the same time, the diversity of bentonic macroinvertebrates will be studied in the river systems of the study area, their natural variability patterns and a taxonomic study will be carried out at the generic level of the macroinvertebrates that allows a greater knowledge of biodiversity in these river ecosystems.

PROMETEO PROGRAM - UNIVERSITY OF CUENCA