Abstract
Over two-thirds of the world's nickel lateritic deposits are in tropical regions, and just less than half are within South-East Asia and Melanesia (SEAM). With increasing nickel mining and processing in SEAM, environmental risk assessment tools are required to ensure sustainable development. Currently, there are no tropical-specific water or sediment quality guideline values (GVs) for nickel, and the appropriateness of applying GVs derived for temperate systems (e.g. Europe) to tropical ecosystems is unknown. Databases of nickel toxicity and toxicity tests for tropical freshwater and sediment species were compiled. Nickel toxicity data were ranked, using a quality assessment, identifying data to potentially use to derive tropical-specific nickel GVs. There were no data for nickel toxicity in tropical freshwater sediments. For tropical freshwaters, of 163 nickel toxicity values for 40 different species, high quality chronic data, based on measured nickel concentrations, were found for just four species (one microalga, two macrophytes and a cnidarian), all of which were relevant to SEAM. These data were insufficient to calculate tropical-specific GVs for long term aquatic ecosystem protection in tropical regions. For derivation of high reliability tropical- or SEAM-specific water and sediment quality GVs, additional research effort is required. Using gap analysis, we have recommended how research gaps could be filled. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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