Implementación de un modelo de evaluación de riesgo del agua de lastre en el puerto de Río Grande, Brasil

the occurrence of exotic species in the estuary laguna de los patos could be related to the ballast water released at the port of rio grande once it has been classified as a conspicuous receptor of ballast water; no related environmental management measures have been adopted. the recognition that invasions of exotic species via ballast water are an increasing problem from local to international scales has stimulated scientific, legal, and management initiatives in order to control the problem. the port of rio grande receives large-capacity ships and concentrates cargo from international routes, thereby increasing its susceptibility to exotic species and the need to manage this threat. this paper proposes the implementation of a risk evaluation model for the area, created by the globallast program. the model generates a global risk coefficient based on the frequency with which the port is visited and similarity indexes for the ports of origin and rio grande. the results suggest the model is a useful tool for environmental management programs in the port area