An evaluation of human interventions in the anthropogenically disturbed Caribbean Coast of Colombia

Abstract

Although human interventions have influenced many coastal areas around the world, research has rarely assessed the environmental impacts of these anthropogenic perturbations. To understand the dominant coastal interventions in countries with tropical areas, this study established a baseline along the continental Caribbean coast of Colombia (approximates 1700 km), based on 29 types of human interventions cataloged via Google Earth images. In total, of the 2742 human interventions identified, the most common were low-density-settlements (n = 971), groins (n = 738), and luxury settlements with piers (n = 188). In addition, the study assessed the environmental impact of each type of intervention based on the extent, intensity, reversibility, and persistence of their effect on coastal processes, as well as their frequency of appearance in the study area. The three most impactful types of human intervention were equivalent to those with the highest frequency: a. Low-density settlements; b. Groins/Jetties; c. Luxury settlements with a pier. In addition, the highest values of environmental impact correspond to material extractions and infrastructure assets such as breakwaters and seawalls. None of these anthropogenic disturbances, however, were within the ten most impactful interventions identified in the study area. The socio-natural patterns of coastal development identified by this study can steer integrated environmental management in coastal tropical countries with rapid economic growth, diversity of human interventions and heterogeneous geographical distribution.