Uses of the coastal zone in the Gulf of Arauco: environmental and ecological importance

Abstract

An updated description of the main uses of the coastal territory of the Gulf of Arauco, Biobío Region, Chile, is presented. This description is elaborated from official information covering the period 2015-2024, and is carried out with the purpose of contributing to the understanding of how these uses can affect the environmental behavior of indicators of the state of the water column, marine sediments and communities of marine species that inhabit the intertidal and subtidal of this body of water. An adequate description of the uses of the coastal zone of this gulf can allow linking the results of the physicochemical and local biodiversity surveys with the sources and pathways of potential pollution, facilitating the understanding of the effects of anthropogenic inputs on this system, as well as complementing the establishment of appropriate measures for the control of marine pollution and the protection of its biodiversity.