Long-term trends in pesticide residues and physical chemical parameters of superficial water samples with accompanying macro-benthic invertebrate community surveys from the Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica: 1993-1994; 2001; 2004-2005; 2009-2011

During the years 1993-1994, 2001, 2003-2005 and 2009-2011, the
Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances
(IRET-UNA) executed independent research projects which quantified
the presence of pesticide residues on superficial water samples from
the Palo Verde National Park (PVNP) and surrounding areas. The PVNP
(5460 sq km) is a RAMSAR wetland of international importance, which
has been subjected to pesticide pressure from agricultural fields
(mainly rice and sugarcane) since the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, the
PVNP wetlands were placed on the RAMSAR Montreux Record, indicating
that it was considered an “impaired ecosystem” due to ecotoxicology
concerns. Water is the key component of all issues regarding the
biodiversity, management, restoration, and economic development of
this region. Therefore, water quality is a critical component of
many social ecological discussions and research efforts. This data
package contains uniform pesticide, biological and water quality
data from all PVNP wetland projects (1993- 2011) in order to present
long-term trends in the environmental water quality and accompanying
biological patterns for this conservation area. Study sites were
spatially determined to compare clean upstream waters with a
gradient of pesticide-affected waters. Superficial water samples
were collected at various sites for chemical (pesticide) analysis
and water quality parameters were recorded in situ for environmental
monitoring. Corresponding biological sampling was completed to
survey benthic macroinvertebrate communities and compare with local
eco-toxicological profiles. This data package contains information
from four separate projects: