Description: Biomonitoring is the use of living organisms to assess the health of an environment, providing a valuable tool for environmental monitoring. This approach is based on the premise that organisms, whether plants, animals, or microorganisms, react to changes in their environment, allowing scientists and ecologists to measure air, water, and soil quality. Biomonitoring can be both qualitative and quantitative, enabling not only the identification of contaminants but also the assessment of their impact on biodiversity and ecosystem health. This method is particularly useful in areas where physical and chemical monitoring methods may be costly or difficult to implement. Additionally, biomonitoring can provide long-term information about environmental health, as organisms can accumulate contaminants over time, thus reflecting the history of pollution in a specific area. In a world where environmental degradation is a growing concern, biomonitoring emerges as an essential tool for conservation and natural resource management, helping to identify problems before they escalate into environmental crises.
History: Biomonitoring has its roots in ecology and toxicology, with its first documented uses in the 1960s. As awareness of environmental pollution grew, scientists began using organisms as indicators of environmental quality. In 1970, more formal protocols for biomonitoring were established, and since then, it has evolved with the development of new technologies and analytical methods.
Uses: Biomonitoring is used in various areas, including the assessment of water, air, and soil quality, as well as in biodiversity and conservation studies. It is also applied in agriculture to monitor crop health and in public health to assess exposure to contaminants.
Examples: An example of biomonitoring is the use of mosses to assess air quality in urban areas, where they have been shown to accumulate heavy metals. Another case is the use of aquatic bioindicators, such as certain types of fish and invertebrates, to evaluate the health of aquatic ecosystems.
