Impactos ambientales en zonas costeras y marítimas de Colombia

Abstract

Colombia has a large coastal zone corresponding to the Caribbean and Pacific region with an area practically equivalent to the continental zone. The Caribbean coast houses 12.5% of the total population, while the Pacific region is only 1.6%, in both cases, mostly concentrated in a few urban centres. Untidy population growth has generated considerable marine-coastal environmental impacts such as coastal erosion, degradation and habitat loss, as well as affecting ecosystem services. In the Caribbean, pollutant accumulation processes are facilitated because it is a closed sea with shallow water, with greater pollution from the Caribbean region with respect to the Pacific, as well as the number of polluting sources that affect the quality of the Waters. On the other hand, the wear of the coasts constitutes one of the principal innate warnings of marine origin used as a probabilistic tool against natural phenomena. In recent years, protected coastal areas have been defined, seeking to protect sensitive ecosystems, which generate important ecosystem services. One of the most important threatened ecosystems are coral reefs because they provide habitat, food and protection to many marine species.