The environmental recovery of the main tourist destinations in the Colombian Caribbean during the Covid-19 quarantine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2021.50.2.1033Keywords:
Coastal zone, environmental indices, remote sensing, environmental quality, Covid-19Abstract
To counteract the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic disease, the Colombian government decreed a quarantine period from March 24 to July 1, 2020, which forced the cessation of tourist activities and the closure of the main tourist destinations of the Colombian Caribbean: Santa Marta, Cartagena, and San Andrés. During this period, a significant increase in the environmental quality of these coastal zones was perceived. To quantify environmental changes in the coastal zone, the variation in chlorophyll concentration and total suspended solids observed by the Sentinel-3 satellite mission, 30 days before and after the start of the quarantine, was analyzed. The
results showed a decrease in the concentration of chlorophyll (> 20 %) and suspended solids (> 40 %) in Santa Marta and Cartagena, but no significant change in San Andrés. Although part of this reduction was linked to seasonal changes in local forces, the results suggest that environmental recovery could be a remote effect of the cessation of polluting activities in the continental territory. Thus, the Covid-19 quarantine provides a reference to observe the effects of productive and tourist activities, potentially useful to establish the carrying
capacity and recovery of coastal ecosystems.
References
Alvera-Azcárate, A., A. Barth, M. Rixen and J.M. Beckers. 2005. Reconstruction of incomplete oceanographic data sets using Empirical Orthogonal Functions. Application to the Adriatic Sea. Oc. Model., 9: 325-346.
Beckers, J.M. and M. Rixen. 2003. EOF calculations and data filling from incomplete oceanographic data sets. J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 20(12): 1839-1856.
Blondeau-Patissiera, D., J. F. R. Gowerb, A. G. Dekkercd, S. R. Phinnd and V. E. Brandocd. 2014. A review of ocean color remote sensing methods and statistical techniques for the detection, mapping and analysis of phytoplankton blooms in coastal and open oceans. Progr. Oceanogr., 123: 123-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2013.12.008
Botero, C.M., S. Mercadé, J.A.Cabrera y B. Bombana (Eds.). 2020. El turismo de sol y playa en el contexto de la Covid-19; escenarios y recomendaciones. Red Iberoam. Gestión Cert. Playas –PROPLAYAS. 2020. Santa Marta. 120 p.
Cannizzaro, J. P. and K.L. Carder. 2006. Estimating chlorophyll a concentrations from remote-sensing reflectance in optically shallow waters. Rem. Sens. Environ., 101: 13–24
Cole, B.E. and J.E. Cloern. 1987. An empirical model for estimating phytoplankton productivity in estuaries. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser., 36(1): 299-305.
Correa-Ramírez, M., Á. Rodríguez-Santana, C. Ricaurte-Villota and J. Paramo. 2020. The southern Caribbean upwelling system off Colombia: water masses and mixing processes. Deep Sea Res. Part I: Oceanogr. Res. Pap., 155: 103145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2019.103145.
DANE. 2020a. Boletín técnico; muestra mensual de hoteles mes de marzo Depart. Administr. Nal. Estad. https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/boletines/mmh/bol_mmh_mar20.pdf 27/07/2020.
DANE. 2020b. Boletín técnico; muestra mensual de hoteles mes de abril. Depart. Administr. Nal. Estad. https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/boletines/mmh/bol_mmh_abr20.pdf 27/07/2020.
Decreto 417. Por el cual se declara un Estado de Emergencia Económica, Social y Ecológica en todo el territorio Nacional, Colombia, 17 de marzo de 2020.
Decreto 457. Por el cual se imparten instrucciones en virtud de la emergencia sanitaria generada por la pandemia del Coronavirus Covid-19 y el mantenimiento del orden público, Colombia, 22 de marzo de 2020.
Decreto 531. Por el cual se imparten instrucciones en virtud de la emergencia sanitaria generada por la pandemia del Coronavirus Covid-19, y el mantenimiento del orden público, Colombia, 8 de abril de 2020.
Decreto 539. Por el cual se adoptan medidas de bioseguridad para mitigar, evitar la propagación y realizar el adecuado manejo de la pandemia del Coronavirus Covid-19, en el marco del Estado de Emergencia Económica, Social y Ecológica, Colombia, 13 de abril de 2020.
Decreto 636. Por el cual se imparten instrucciones en virtud de la emergencia sanitaria generada por la pandemia del Coronavirus Covid-19, y el mantenimiento del orden público, Colombia, 6 de mayo de 2020.
Decreto 639. Por el cual se crea el Programa de apoyo al empleo formal -PAEF, en el marco del Estado de Emergencia Económica, Social y Ecológica declarado por el Decreto 637 de 2020, Colombia, 8 de mayo de 2020.
Decreto 749. Por el cual se imparten instrucciones en virtud de la emergencia sanitaria generada por la pandemia del Coronavirus Covid-19, y el mantenimiento del orden público, Colombia, 28 de mayo de 2020.
Gohin, F. 2011. Annual cycles of chlorophyll-a, non-algal suspended particulate matter, and turbidity observed from space and in-situ in coastal waters. Oc. Sci., 7(5): 705-732. https://doi.org/10.5194/os-7-705-2011
Mincit. 2018. Resultados para el turismo. Min. Com. Industr. Turis. https://www.mincit.gov.co/getattachment/estudios-economicos/estadisticas-e-informes/informes-de-turismo/2018/oee-vt-turismo-2018-28-03-2019.pdf.aspx
Nechad, B., K. G. Ruddick and G. Neukermans. 2010. Calibration and validation of a generic multisensor algorithm for mapping of turbidity in coastal waters. Rem. Sens. Environ., 114 (4): 854-866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.11.022.
Noguera, N. 2017. Exceso de turistas y hotelería ilegal ponen en jaque a la naturaleza. El Tiempo digital. https://www.eltiempo.com/vida/medio-ambiente/turismoexcesivo-afecta-ecosistemas-en-colombia-159910 27/07/2020.
Organización Mundial de la Salud. 2019. Covid-19: cronología de la actuación de la OMS. https://www.who.int/es/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19 27/07/2020.
Rangel-Buitrago, N., A. Williams y G. Anfuso. 2018. Killing the goose with the golden eggs: litter effects on scenic quality of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Mar. Poll. Bull., 127: 22-38.
Restrepo, J. D. and H.A. Escobar. 2018. Sediment load trends in the Magdalena River basin (1980–2010): Anthropogenic and climate-induced causes. Geomorphology, 302: 76-91.
Tian, L., O. W. Wai, X. Chen, Y. Liu, L. Feng, J. Li and J. Huang. 2014. Assessment of total suspended sediment distribution under varying tidal conditions in deep bay: Initial results from HJ-1A/1B satellite CCD images. Rem. Sens., 6(10): 9911-9929.
Torregroza-Espinosa, A. C., J.C. Restrepo, A. Correa-Metrio, N. Hoyos, J. Escobar, J. Pierini and J.M. Martínez. 2020. Fluvial and oceanographic influences on suspended sediment dispersal in the Magdalena River Estuary. J. Mar. Syst., 204: 103282.
Williams, A. T., N.G. Rangel-Buitrago, G. Anfuso, O. Cervantes and C. M. Botero. 2016. Litter impacts on scenery and tourism on the Colombian north Caribbean coast. Tour. Manag., 55: 209-224.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Marco Alejandro Correa, W. Pacheco, Constanza Ricaurte-Villota
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.