Ecological restoration due to oil spill pollution in the community of El Vergel

Abstract

This article aims to formulate a comprehensive proposal for ecological restoration and legal-environmental advisory to mitigate the impacts of the oil spill that occurred on March 13, 2025, in the community of El Vergel, Ecuador. The research is based on a methodology that integrates a systematic review of official and journalistic sources, a comparative analysis of contingency reports, and the synthesis of bioremediation and phytoremediation protocols. The results determine that the spill, officially estimated at 25,000 barrels, affects more than 80 km of fluvial systems, leading to the suspension of the potable water supply in multiple localities and generating adverse impacts on the fishing and agricultural sectors, as well as on the public health of riverside communities. The study concludes that the rehabilitation process must prioritize the containment and extraction of residual crude, the decontamination of riverbanks using phytoremediation techniques assisted by microbial bioaugmentation, the management of contaminated soils, and eco-hydrological monitoring for 24 months. Furthermore, the establishment of an eco-hydrological monitoring system is proposed, aimed at verifying compliance with quantifiable targets for the reduction of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and at evaluating the recovery of ecosystem services.