ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL POLLUTION OF SELECTED LOCATIONS ON THE NIŠAVA AND THE ŠTIRA RIVERS BASED ON SPEAR PARAMETERS

Chemical pollutants have a significant impact on the decline of biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems on a global scale. In this work, the SPEAR parameters was used to assess the impact of pesticides and organic pollutants on aquatic ecosystems. These parameters are based on the characteristics of aquatic macroinvertebrates that are sensitive to pesticides and organic pollutants. The macroinvertebrate community was analysed at 3 sites on the Štira River and 4 sites on the Nišava River. Based on the analysed community and the determined values of SPEAR parameters values, it can be concluded that sites near and downstream of cities are exposed to greater pressure and influence of pesticides and organic pollution