Being adapted to saline environments, halophytes are plant species that have received considerable attention due to their ability to cope with environmental stress factors, such as high concentrations of soluble salts and heavy metals. In this work, we focused on determining if the Sarcocornia neei (S. neei) plant can be considered as an indicator of heavy metal pollution in soil. This was done by analyzing the concentration of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and arsenic (As) in plants and soil sampled from two wetlands in the central zone of Chile: a wetland contaminated by industrial activities and a wetland protected by the Chilean government. In addition, 14 fertility parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), Pb, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and boron (B)) were analyzed for soil samples in both wetlands. This was done to differentiate between available elements and contamination by heavy metals. Plant and soil samples in the contaminated wetland exhibited significantly higher heavy metal concentrations in comparison to samples analyzed from the protected wetland. This indicates that the S. neei plant can be further researched as an indicator of heavy metal pollution in saline soils and possibly for phytoremediation purposes.

A phytoremediation process for lead (Pb) under laboratory conditions on contaminated soil from the Puchuncaví commune, Valparaíso Province, Chile, was carried out. It analyzed the phytoremediation potential of Sarcocornia neei (Lag.) M.A. Alonso and M.B. Crespo. The plants were propagated beforehand and extracted from the El Yali wetland, a RAMSAR 878 site in Valparaíso. Soil fertility and heavy metal concentration analyses of composite samples were conducted, complying with established protocols and standard methodology for chemical and metal analyses. These analyses were conducted in the Soil Analysis Laboratory of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The aim was to analyse not only the tissue of plants from both areas but also the soil to identify the changes in different conditions in which the plants live. To determine the type of inferential analysis to be performed, a normality test was applied; however, it was deemed unsuitable, and therefore, the contrasts were developed using nonparametric tests, particularly Wilcoxon. R project software was used in the tests, especially the RCommander package, together with the Jamovi free-license statistical spreadsheet application. The analyses results of the soil samples indicated high concentrations of heavy metals, predominantly Pb at a concentration of 77.97mg/kg, acidic soil indicated by pH between 5.77 and 6.38, low levels of electrical conductivity, and the presence of organic matter. A phytoremediation efficiency of 99 on soil samples was achieved. Preliminary results were compared against international regulations on the concentration of metals in soil. The histological sections showed that individual plants probably adapted to their environmental conditions.

El objetivo de este trabajo es comprender las principales representaciones de la memoria de las mujeres en torno a la contaminación industrial en Puchuncaví, desde sus experiencias de vida en zonas rurales de alta contaminación y sequía. Para este fin, se recurrió a una metodología cualitativa a través de dos grupos focales con mujeres de comunidades rurales de la región de Valparaíso, Chile, participantes de un proyecto de desarrollo de la Universidad de Playa Ancha en el año 2020. Los hallazgos indican que, en el contexto de contaminación, sequías y en el tiempo de la pandemia de COVID-19, las mujeres siguieron trabajando activamente ante la crisis ambiental y en sus memorias tienen presente cómo fue la llegada de las industrias al lugar y las repercusiones ambientales que fueron transformando sus comunidades en una «zona de sacrificio». Interesantes son los recuerdos que surgen de todas las contradicciones que giraron con la instalación de las empresas; por un lado, representaban el progreso material y la empleabilidad laboral; por otro lado, la degradación ambiental solo se hizo patente con el transcurso de los años. En estos contextos, las mujeres desarrollaron diferentes estrategias colectivas, se organizaron para desarrollar prácticas sustentables e incluso el aprendizaje de nuevas tecnologías. En este sentido, los resultados destacan el rol de la memoria social en la construcción de una conciencia colectiva de la crisis socioecológica, visibilizando la resistencia, el liderazgo y los propios saberes de las mujeres rurales frente a los procesos de contaminación ambiental y cambio climático.

Heavy metals in high concentrations from industrial areas are deposited in the soil and, as a result of ecosystem interrelationships, enter and are harmful to living beings. To determine if there is translocation of metals from the soil to herbivorous animals, the team of the Laboratory of Learning, Technology and Democratization in Soils and Communities (LAPTES) conducted a first exploratory study and then a complementary study of the translocation of heavy metals such as Copper (Cu), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) in localities near the Ventanas Industrial Complex (CIV). Fecal samples were collected from different points of the La Greda School, using standard methods for the determination of heavy metals in certified laboratories. The results were analyzed using correlation coefficients, Spearman correlation matrix, and descriptive statistics. It was shown that there was a correlation between the presence of metals in the soil and the feces of herbivorous animals. It is concluded that there would be a risk in the hunting and consumption of local lagomorphs on contaminated soils, affecting food security, making it necessary to strengthen environmental education through soil remediation in contaminated territories, considering the active participation of the communities.