Objectives

OBJECTIVES

The Colombian Caribbean comprises one of the most diverse geological, hydrological and biological environments on the planet. The Colombian Caribbean is attractive to marine scientists globally because: (i) it encompasses passive and convergent margins, and as a result a diverse range of tectonic processes, within a short distance; (ii) it is possible to observe the effect of subduction earthquakes in a passive margin; and (iii) it is a focal point for ocean currents in the southern Caribbean, which has important chemical and biological implications. Geophysical and well data acquired from this region have revealed a wide range of seafloor structures related to submarine landsliding, canyon and channel erosion, mud volcanism, fluid flow and seepage, bottom currents, and seasonal upwelling, among others. These structures, which occur at a wide range of water depths, provide habitats to a myriad of marine ecosystems, including mangroves, shallow coral reefs and deep water corals.

Marine geological and biological environments provide crucial ecosystem services to Colombia at the local and national scale, by providing food and energy sources, attracting tourist and recreational activities, and providing protection from natural hazards. As observed in the wider Caribbean, seafloor habitats have shown rapid rates of decline, in terms of diversity and biomass, as a result of global environmental change, unsustainable fishing practices, mining, pollution and infrastructural development, among others. Such degradation threatens human society via economic losses and increased vulnerability to natural hazards, and is likely to be exacerbated in view of the estimated 50% population rise in the next 30 years.

To address these issues, Colombia has proposed “An Environmentally Sustainable Colombia” as a national research priority, with the main goals being to develop marine resources and exploit Colombia’s biodiversity sustainably with appropriate management and decision making. The country has thus established several national policies, among which are: (i) the National Environmental Policy for the Sustainable Development of Spaces Oceans and the Coastal and Island Areas of Colombia (PNAOCI); (ii) the National Policies of the Ocean and the Coastal Spaces (PNOEC) (2016-2028), which aims to establish marine spatial planning approaches that allow for compatible different visions, policies, plans and actions in the territory by 2028; and (iii) the recently established Colombian Sustainable Bioceanic Power policy (CONPES – Colombia Potencia Bioceánica Sostenible 2030). The management of human uses of the marine environment has thus shifted to an approach integrating spatial planning and ecosystem-based practices.

A number of issues have hindered the implementation of the above policies. Chief among these is the poor coverage and resolution of seafloor data from the Colombian Caribbean. In addition, there is a clear bias towards better representation of the shallow seafloor near the coast, in comparison to deeper settings. This is a result of the lack of appropriate seafloor surveying infrastructure and, more importantly, of the experience and expertise needed to deploy such infrastructure and generate relevant products. In Colombia there are no academic programs designed to train professionals, scientists and students in the use of state-of-the-art tools and techniques for seafloor surveying. There is thus an urgent need for building capacity in the use of technologies and techniques to map the Colombian seafloor in an efficient, rapid and objective manner, and to provide high quality, appropriate information for the management of marine spaces.

The scientific and technical working goals of the CODEnet project are therefore to:

1. Establish a network to foster collaboration in marine science and technology between Germany and Colombia.
2. Strengthen the capacity of the next generation of Colombian scientists and professionals in seafloor and habitat mapping and support the fulfilment of Colombian national policies.
3. Develop workflows for the collection, processing and interpretation of multi-scale seafloor data that are tailored for the Colombian context.
4. Develop an application to be submitted to national or international funding agency.