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Open Access 2025 | Open Access | Buch

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve

From Local Thinking to Global Actions

herausgegeben von: José Ernesto Mancera Pineda, Andrés F. Osorio, Cesar Toro, Carolina Sofía Velásquez-Calderón

Verlag: Springer Nature Singapore

Buchreihe : Disaster Risk Reduction

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik"

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Über dieses Buch

This open access book addresses the following topics for the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve (BR) in the Colombian Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, in the southwest Caribbean Sea, which is the world’s largest BR and contains representative ecosystems of tropical island regions.
● Future regional climate behavior and forms of balanced relationships between humans and nature to promote climate change (CC) adaptation and mitigation strategies for tropical islands.
● The relevance of BRs as ideal locations to study and replicate interdisciplinary adaptation strategies. BRs are “living, dynamic laboratories” where local communities demonstrate safe and sustainable development possibilities. Island and coastal tropical BRs disproportionately face adverse effects of CC, making them a research priority with unprecedented intellectual challenges for their unique characteristics.
This collaborative effort
● Stimulates critical and interdisciplinary thinking around tropical island regions
● Presents new and different angles to understand local socioenvironmental impacts of CC
● Demonstrates the linkage between ecosystem services, human well-being, and CC adaptation
● Connects local experiences to global dynamics and processes, and vice versa
● Places the struggles and knowledge of the indigenous Raizal people at the forefront of CC and BR studies
● Examines relevant socioenvironmental pathways toward collective action for adaptive capacity, resilience, and ultimately contributes to sustainable development processes in BRs worldwide.

This book was financed by the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin).

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

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Understanding Climate Change and Its Socio-environmental Impacts in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve

Frontmatter

Open Access

CMIP6 Ocean and Atmospheric Climate Change Projections in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve—Caribbean Sea—by the End of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Seventeen climate models from CMIP6 were examined to assess the expected behavior of seven atmospheric/ocean variables in the Caribbean Basin and the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve (SBR) during the twenty-first century, under two socioeconomic scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Additionally, an ensemble is made with the five models with the best oceanic resolution in the Caribbean Sea. Precipitation shows significant negative trends in most of the projected periods, while air and sea surface temperature, surface salinity and mean sterodynamic sea level (SDSL) have significant positive trends. Air temperature in SBR will probably increase by 2 °C compared to the preindustrial period after 2050 (SSP5-8.5) or 2060 (SSP2-4.5). The warming trend in the region could extend the hurricane season and/or increase hurricane frequency, affect ecosystems like coral reefs and mangroves, and intensify ocean stratification. For the same period, SDSL is expected to rise in SBR between ~24.2 and 39.9 cm. If all contributing factors are included, an increase of up to ~95 cm (SSP5-8.5) could be expected by the end of the twenty-first century. This sea level rise would modify the ecological balance and enhance flooding, affecting tourism and risking the disappearance of the low-elevation islands.

David Francisco Bustos Usta, Rafael Ricardo Torres Parra

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Open Access

Reconstructing the Eta and Iota Events for San Andrés and Providencia: A Focus on Urban and Coastal Flooding

Abstract

Hurricanes Eta and Iota were the most intense events during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and their passage caused serious infrastructure affectations and even human losses in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina due to the extreme winds, storm surge flooding, and rainfall flooding. Numerical modeling and field measurements were used to reconstruct the effects of these events on the archipelago. The simulations were conducted with WAVEWATCHIII, SWAN, XBeach, Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), and a parametric model for hurricane winds. A differentiated contribution of each hazard on physical infrastructure, coastal ecosystems, and population is represented through: winds up to 50 m/s, significant wave heights (Hs) between 1 and 6 m in intermediate waters (around 10 m deep) associated with flood levels in the order of 2 m on the coast, and flood distances varying between 12 and 904 m. A spatial distribution of Hs and the contribution of wave run-up and storm surge in some areas of the archipelago showed the importance of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems to mitigate the intensity of Eta and Iota on the coast. This study encourages science-based decision-making and provides information for policymakers to consolidate risk assessments in vulnerable zones like the archipelago.

Andrés F. Osorio, Rubén Montoya, Franklin F. Ayala, Juan D. Osorio-Cano

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Open Access

Rapid Remote Sensing Assessment of Impacts from Hurricane Iota on the Coral Reef Geomorphic Zonation in Providencia

Abstract

This study assesses Hurricane Iota’s impact on Providencia island’s reef environments, using Google Earth Engine, Satellite Derived Bathymetry, and machine learning to calculate a supervised classification process to delineate six geomorphic reef units. Results reveal dynamic changes, including erosion in the Lagoon unit (4.47% pre-Iota, 2.27% post-Iota), loss on the Back Reef (38.14%), and Rock Terrace (6.15%). Reef Ridge showed minimal change, acting as an effective wave barrier. Back Reef and the deep Rock Terrace experienced significant erosion (−3 to −14 m) to the northeast, with sedimentary dynamics observed in deeper units (up to 22 m). The high thematic accuracies found (Kappa 99%) illustrate the effectiveness of the assessment to (i) map the reef rapidly, (ii) provide tools for long-term monitoring of changes over time and (iii) improve management strategies and decision-making.

Hernando Hernández-Hamón, Paula A. Zapata-Ramírez, Rafael E. Vásquez, Carlos A. Zuluaga, Juan David Santana Mejía, Marcela Cano

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Open Access

A Light Pollution Assessment in the Fringing Reefs of San Andrés Island: Towards Reducing Stressful Conditions at Impacted Coral Reefs

Abstract

The degradation of the night sky’s quality due to artificial light sources negatively affects marine environments, because many organisms use natural light as cues for reproductive and dispersal behaviors, find favorable habitats, and for the biochemistry of their symbiotic microorganisms. Despite the tremendous effect on marine life, measuring the effects of artificial light pollution is difficult because our understanding of natural light brightness coming from celestial bodies like the Moon is minimal. Here, we fill this gap by quantifying the sky’s brightness and Artificial Light Pollution at Night (ALAN). This study assessed light pollution along the reefs around San Andrés Island, which Hurricane Iota significantly impacted. We modified and installed Sky Quality Meters (LU-DL) at both leeward and fringing reefs, down to 11 m depth. The results indicate the highest ALAN values in the area of Johnny Cay (18 msas) compared to Acuario (20 msas) and West View (21 msas). Additionally, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA and Unihedron databases show an increase in artificial light on land, where constant artificial light and coastal vegetation loss due to Hurricane Iota (between 15 and 19th November 2020), are the main factors that may be generating this increase in artificial light.

Andres Chilma-Arias, Sebastian Giraldo-Vaca, Juan A. Sánchez

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Open Access

Ciguatera in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve: Projecting the Approach on HABs to Assess and Mitigate Their Impacts on Public Health, Fisheries and Tourism

Abstract

Microalgae constitute the basis of marine food webs. However, the massive growth of some species and the toxicity of others may represent a serious threat to human health, fisheries, mariculture, and tourism. Evidence shows that global warming, climate change, nutrients, and sewage discharge favor microalgal blooms, which are becoming more frequent, intense, and lasting. In the Caribbean Sea, ciguatera poisoning, one of the syndromes caused by toxic dinoflagellates, has increased its incidence in the past three decades. Despite the potential risks, there is no management plan for this and other harmful algal blooms (HABs) in San Andres island, Colombia. We analyze the presence of toxic dinoflagellates along with the incidence of ciguatera in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve (SBR). Considering that effective climate change adaptation and mitigation decisions are based on relationships between science and society, involving a wide variety of analytical methods to evaluate associated risks and benefits, we propose to evaluate the potential effects of HABs, focusing on the economic value of their impacts on fishing and tourism. We propose an early warning system conceptual model, based on a monitoring program, as a strategy to contribute to the governance and the management effectiveness of the different institutions of the SBR.

José Ernesto Mancera Pineda, Brigitte Gavio, Adriana Santos-Martínez, Gustavo Arencibia Carballo, Julián Prato

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Society, Seaflower Marine Ecosystem Services, and Climate Change Adaptation

Frontmatter

Open Access

The Biosphere Reserve Concept, Seaflower, and Climate Change

Abstract

Based on UNESCO’s biosphere reserve concept and on the paper originally proposing an archipelago biosphere reserve, this chapter supports going deeper into implementing the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve as a social, economic, and environmental sustainability model. To this, it proposes some actions, from reconsidering its regulatory status to its integration with national development plans, including payment schemes for ecosystem services (PES), as Seaflower ecosystems provide society with many goods and services, estimated to be huge, but not reflected in their management and financing. Seaflower’s meaning has not been properly understood and is not taking advantage of this status. The current situation is worrying and unsustainable; it threatens the natural, historical, social, and cultural heritage of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, stressed by a questionable mass tourism development model and worsened, mainly in Providencia, by hurricanes Eta and Iota and because of climate change whose impact, mainly in coral reefs, could be extreme. Some of the ideas developed in this chapter were proposed by the author with the name Seaflower Initiative; now, could be integrated with Gran Seaflower Initiative, a recent proposal for the creation of a transboundary biosphere reserve in the western Caribbean.

Germán Márquez

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Open Access

Marine Ecosystem Services for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve: Coastal Protection and Fish Biodiversity Refuge at Caribbean Insular Territories

Abstract

Insular and coastal territories like those in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve are exposed to strong winds, waves, storms, and hurricanes. In November 2020, Hurricanes Eta and Iota provided a costly reminder of the risks facing Seaflower’s people and ecosystems. Coral reefs and mangroves are natural shields, reducing wind and wave strength during normal and extreme conditions. These coastal protection ecosystem services (ES) are vital for human safety and well-being, and become more important given the heightened vulnerability of low-lying insular islands to climate change impacts. These ecosystems also provide biodiversity refuge ES for fishes and shellfish, key for food security and resilience to global challenges like hurricanes, sea level rise, and global warming. Despite their importance, these valuable ecosystems are threatened by anthropogenic pressures, jeopardizing the survival and well-being of islanders; their restoration and recovery require improved management and decision-making, and heightened societal awareness of our dependence on marine ecosystems and their potential as climate change adaptation solutions. We identify ES provided by coral reefs and mangroves, interdisciplinary management tools, and recommendations to motivate society and decision-makers to expand efforts for the protection, restoration, and use of these ecosystems as Nature-based Solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Seaflower.

Julián Prato, Adriana Santos-Martínez, Amílcar Leví Cupul-Magaña, Diana Castaño, José Ernesto Mancera Pineda, Jairo Medina, Arnold Hudson, Juan C. Mejía-Rentería, Carolina Sofia Velásquez-Calderòn, Germán Márquez, Diana Morales-de-Anda, Matthias Wolff, Peter W. Schuhmann

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Open Access

Climate Change Effects on Seaflower Biosphere Reserve Fishery Resources

Abstract

Climate Change (CC) is a global phenomenon with differentiated impacts. Its effects are felt in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and organisms, and in the most vulnerable economies and societies. CC is altering the ocean’s chemistry, initiating cascading socioenvironmental impacts. The fisheries sector is the most affected. In the Western Caribbean’s Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, identified as having the highest climatic risk, these impacts are pronounced. This study comprehensively reviews existing knowledge on climate change effects on fishery resources and incorporates fishers’ perceptions through two rounds of surveys in 2019 and 2022. The findings reveal significant consequences for fishery resources, including alterations in biological properties and species distribution, loss of critical coastal fish breeding habitats, reduced fisheries productivity, and increased local and cross-border conflicts over fish resources. Especially, after the destructive impact of Hurricane Iota (2020), fishers shifted their hazard perception, elevating hurricanes as a significant threat alongside drought. These evolving perceptions emphasize the need for comprehensive policy strategies to address multiple hazards and their interactions, aligning with fishers’ priorities and enhancing the resilience of the fishing sector. This research underscores the urgency of ecosystem-based and co-management policies, alternatives for artisanal fishers, and heightened climate risk perception.

Carolina Sofia Velásquez-Calderón, Adriana Santos-Martínez, Anthony Rojas-Archbold, Julián Prato

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Overcoming Iota: A Reflection on Old Providence and Santa Catalina Cultural Resilience In the Face of Disaster and Climate Change

Abstract

In November 2020, category 4 Hurricane Iota devastated Old Providence and Santa Catalina (OPSC), small islands located in the Colombian Western Caribbean and home of the Raizal people, an African-descendent ethnic group bearing their own culture and language. Despite the chaotic governmental response, the local community has responded to the situation by adapting and reorganizing their ways of life. In this chapter, I present a reflection on how OPSC people have used culture in different ways to prepare, adapt, and resist during the disaster and post-disaster periods, in the context of increasing climate change, creating new ways to relate to their islands and community that play an important role in their future. To do this, I use some concepts drawn from cultural perspectives on disasters, climate change, and resilience. As I will try to show, the OPSC community has demonstrated a strong cultural resilience through its capacity to recover and its ability to learn from experience and adapt to new situations. This is not an easy process, as the current context exacerbates vulnerabilities. However, cultural resilience and community processes are a source of hope for islanders to continue to inhabit their land and seascapes with well-being and autonomy.

Ana Isabel Márquez-Pérez

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Open Access

Climate Change: A Business Perspective of the Tourism Industry in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Mass tourism in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina is depleting natural ecosystems, which are precisely the basis that supports the local economy. Since the establishment of the free port in the territory, the region’s development has been promoted without considering the loss of its environmental resources. However, after the islands were declared the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in 2000, actions have been taken to counteract the situation, envisioning a more environmentally friendly productive performance that provides the income necessary to guarantee the well-being and quality of life of islanders. Despite this, intensive economic activities prevail in the department, showing that the path towards sustainability under these conditions is difficult to achieve. Climate change has highlighted the importance of finding sustainable alternatives for islands. In this case, it is necessary to discourage conventional means that threaten the biodiversity of the territory and to promote business schemes that are more environmentally respectful. This will be possible through the strengthening of governance in the Biosphere Reserve and its coordination with different interest groups. In this article we estimate the relevance of the topic for the most important industry in the territory—tourism—to provide key elements for this discussion.

Lorena Aldana Pedrozo, Rixcie Newball Stephens

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Climate Change Education and Research

Frontmatter

Open Access

Archeology Expanded—a Multidisciplinary Approach for Natural Disaster Response

Long-Term Vulnerability and Climate Change: Analyzing Three Archeological Sites on the Colombian Caribbean Island of Santa Catalina

Abstract

This article evaluates the vulnerability index of three elements associated with the historical and fortified heritage of Santa Catalina Island, a volcanic promontory located in the northwest of the Colombian Caribbean. The extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season intensified the loss of valuable heritage assets of the Raizal community. Taking into account their intangible and historical values, the analysis focuses on the impacts of climate change on these elements over time, with the aim of contributing to scientific debate on the awareness and protection of cultural heritage for future generations.

Víctor Andrés Pérez Bermúdez, Daniela Vargas Ariza

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Open Access

Taking Seaflower to the Classroom: A Proposal to Bring Sustainability Education to High Schools in an Oceanic Archipelago (Western Caribbean, Colombia)

Abstract

Geographic understanding is an important ability to be developed in learning communities in islands, since, as previously established, they have unique interactions with natural and human systems. In the case of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, the curriculum standards, guidelines, and textbooks are designed mostly considering mainland learning communities of white/mestizo ancestry and overlooking the different backgrounds and needs of ethnic minority students, resulting in a total absence of a culturally responsive approach. In this chapter, we propose the geo-literacy umbrella as a tool to improve teacher training and institutional capabilities, previously proposed by academics as points of intervention to close the educational breach by 2030. The seascapes and landscapes protected by the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve offer a rich spatial template for context-based teaching and learning, particularly in local high schools where Geo-literacy might be also useful for introducing general knowledge about sustainability in islands. The General Law for Education in Colombia, provides guidelines that could be used by teachers as anchor points to integrate concepts and methods about sustainability in islands that challenge students to think about real-world problems.

Juan F. Blanco-Libreros, Sara R. López-Rodríguez, Jairo Lasso-Zapata, Beatriz Méndez, Nairo De Armas, Margareth Mitchell-Bent

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Advances and Needs in Marine Science Research in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina: A Literature Analysis

Abstract

A searchable database of marine science bibliographic references relating to the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina is presented. A total of 422 documents were located, including scientific articles, books and book chapters, and thesis works, plus 103 internal technical reports. The database is used to formulate a diagnosis of advances and needs in marine science research in the archipelago. Despite having received the most attention, the species inventory is not complete and is biased toward certain groups. The biology of most species is poorly known, as well as their interactions. Static aspects like the co-occurrence of species in a certain time period predominate, while dynamic aspects including responses to climate change have been barely touched upon. Hence, there is a wide scope and need for new and modern initiatives in marine science research for the archipelago.

Camilo B. García, Johan Sebastián Villarraga

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Open Access

Introduction

Abstract

Biosphere reserves have particular, unique importance as places to study, learn, and replicate forms of disciplinary mitigation and adaptation. In the context of the worsening climate crisis, this is especially true of island and coastal biosphere reserves that disproportionately face the adverse impacts of climate change. Considering issues like biodiversity conservation, cultural diversity, and socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable economic development, biosphere reserves serve as ideal places for interdisciplinary research and to design and implement mitigation and adaptation strategies developed from and for local contexts and communities. This interdisciplinary book emphasizes the unification of the results of cutting-edge technical research with the local knowledge, struggles, and experiences of the Raizal people of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. Combining insights from different disciplines offers insights into how best to prepare for and respond to future extreme weather events, and key inputs for decision-making by both public sector actors in the archipelago and Colombia, and any stakeholder interested in these processes. Innovative methodologies and precise, up-to-date scientific data are crucial for effective policy-making. Hence, this book includes important results including maps, models, and ecosystem-based reconstruction methodologies focused on mangroves and coral reefs, among others.

José Ernesto Mancera Pineda, Andrés F. Osorio, Cesar Toro, Carolina Sofía Velásquez-Calderón

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Backmatter

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Titel: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve
herausgegeben von: José Ernesto Mancera Pineda
Andrés F. Osorio
Cesar Toro
Carolina Sofía Velásquez-Calderón
Verlag: Springer Nature Singapore
Electronic ISBN: 978-981-9766-63-5
Print ISBN: 978-981-9766-62-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6663-5