Efectos del derrame de petróleo en la Refinería la Pampilla en las costas del litoral marino, Lima (Perú)

The oil spill that occurred on the seacoast of the La Pampilla Refinery has caused an environmental disaster of incalculable dimensions. Reports indicate that the product of the spill is 11,900 barrels of oil and the spread of crude oil is 1,739,000 square meters, which includes 24 contaminated Pacific beaches and 116 square kilometers impacted by the oil, between sea and land. The spilled oil has been displaced by marine currents in a northerly direction, affecting the habitats and biodiversity of the 512 hectares of the Sistema de Islas, Islotes y Puntas Guaneras National Reserve and the 1758.1 hectares of the Ancón Reserved Zone. Nearly 500 species of invertebrates, marine algae, birds and mammals have been directly affected and it is likely that they will not return to the habitats where they resided before the spill, and which have been destroyed by the contamination. The objective of the editorial is to describe the possible environmental effects of the oil spill, which contravenes the “human-environment interaction”, while providing inputs for academic debate so that scientists can propose remediation strategies for the environmental disaster in favor of biodiversity conservation and sustainability. The Revista de Investigaciones Altoandinas is always attentive to everything that may be detrimental to the environment and human health, especially to induce the balance of “interaction between humans and the environment” from different disciplines and institutions of knowledge.