Constructed wetlands to treat polluted waters in Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT

A collaborative analysis of constructed wetlands in Latin America and the Caribbean, published in Spanish, brought together insights from 10 different countries in the region. The collective reports focused on both subsurface and surface flow wetlands. Treatment targets included industrial and agricultural discharges, yet the emphasis was on the treatment of domestic wastewater as a pollutant, and a lack of sufficient municipal wastewater treatment infrastructure. Common macrophyte genera as well as unique species were highlighted for their potential contributions to treatment and ecological diversity. Finally, a growing body of legal frameworks for establishment and protection were reported.

KEYWORDS:

• Water pollution
• wetland
• Latin America
• regional analysis
• water treatment

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to scientists from all countries that contributed to this important regional analysis. Similarly, the authors thank the support of the Center for Mining Sustainability (UNSA-Mines) and the UNESCO Chair on Surface Hydrology.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Pablo Garcia-Chevesich, Lino Morales-Paredes, Giuliana Romero-Mariscal, Armando Arenazas-Rodriguez, Juana Ticona-Quea and Roberto Pizarro. The manuscript was written by Pablo Garcia-Chevesich, Gary Vanzin and Jonathan Sharp with all authors playing an editorial role during iterative revisions. Jonathan Sharp and Lino Morales managed the associated research projects.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in Spanish, in the book ‘Uso de humedales artificiales para la limpieza de aguas superficiales contaminadas en América Latina y el Caribe’, available at the website of the UNESCO Chair on Surface Hydrology (http://www.cuhs.utalca.cl/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/LIBRO_USO_DE_HUMEDAD_portada.pdf).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2024.2341272

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Mining Sustainability [Grant Number 470155], a joint effort between the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa (Peru) and the Colorado School of Mines (United States). Funding for this Center comes from Peru’s Mining Cannon.