Central Coast, Peru,
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
The Central Coast, Peru observatory has been established at an artificial reef situated in a highly productive ecosystem with little hard substrate, providing opportunities to study the dynamics of colonization and ecological succession surrounding marine infrastructure projects.
The MarineGEO site on the Central Coast, Peru is located 167 km south of Lima, associated with the Peru Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) international port terminal. The observatory is part of the Biodiversity Monitoring and Assessment Program (BMAP), a strategic conservation and development alliance between the Smithsonian and Peru LNG to provide best biodiversity management practices and advance marine sciences. BMAP provides a research and monitoring framework to understand the dynamics of coastal marine biological communities associated with human-made infrastructure. Smithsonian and Peruvian researchers implement standardized research protocols and experiments around the artificial reef and adjacent natural sediment flats. The location is of high research importance because it is part of the Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem, one of the most productive marine ecosystems on earth, while providing structure in an area with little hard substrate. The BMAP integrates long-term biological and ecological research with environmental and climate data to understand the status and trends of marine biodiversity, from plankton to marine mammals, as well as their adaptive responses to human activities and environmental variations, including climate. The area is home to a several species of conservation concern, including the Humboldt penguin.
The Central Coast, Peru observatory welcomes and trains Peruvian undergraduate and graduate students in marine research and environmental monitoring and has established a network of collaborations with national and international scientists. For example, it forms part of the Pan-American Experimental Initiative in Marine Macroecology (PanAmEx), an experimental network led by the Smithsonian (including MarineGEO) spanning coastal marine ecosystems of North, Central, and South America. MarineGEO research at Central Coast, Peru focuses mainly on human-built and sediment bottom habitats.
