Overview
- Researchers from UNL’s Ecotoxicology Lab and CONICET report that sediments from repeatedly burned wetlands caused high mortality, physiological disruption and severe behavioral changes in amphibian larvae in experimental bioassays.
- The study warns that abrupt post-fire increases in salts, ions and combustion-derived compounds threaten fish eggs and larvae during reflooding in the Paraná system, jeopardizing population recovery.
- The paper, published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, is presented as Argentina’s first experimental ecotoxicological assessment of post-fire wetland effects based on field sampling at recently burned sites.
- Scientists link the risks to recurring, often intentional burns and say Argentina’s fire prevention and post-fire management remain structurally underfunded, as large blazes continue in Patagonia and the Paraná region.
- World Wetlands Day coverage also notes mounting governance responses and gaps, including Peru’s new national wetlands law and regulation, Mexico’s upcoming 2025 mangrove inventory from CONABIO’s SMMM, and local calls for a management plan at Laguna de Rocha.