The Magdalena Regional Autonomous Corporation CORPAMAG, and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research INVEMAR, carried out the final socialization of agreement 271 of 2023, which aims to monitor and evaluate the environmental quality of the coastal area of the department of Magdalena. This project focuses on seawater quality, coastal management and beach quality in the Santa Marta district and other prioritized points.
INVEMAR, with its robust experience, developed research activities and generated technical-scientific information on the environmental conditions of the region, thus improving the Corporation’s environmental management tools.
During the day, various topics of the project covered by the agreement were addressed, which are essential for marine and coastal ecosystems, including: environmental quality that includes water and sediment quality, pollution by marine litter, monitoring of macroalgae, monitoring of corals. and coastal erosion.
This agreement also included environmental awareness and ocean literacy actions, framed in the Blue Schools strategy. These activities benefited more than 3,000 people, including students and teachers from Magdalena schools, through initiatives such as oceanic thinking laboratories, trainer-of-trainer workshops, seedbeds and recreational activities.
“The information we have received today is of great importance, as it relates to the priority points to be monitored. The quality of seawater in the district of Santa Marta and in several rivers in the district is a priority for us as an environmental authority.” This invites us to work in a coordinated manner with different entities that have a presence in the department and that are somehow involved with this issue.”, emphasized Paul Laguna Panetta, deputy director of Environmental Management at CORPAMAG.
The official also stated that one of the objectives is the decontamination of the marine waters of the city of Santa Marta, which is why, within the framework of the celebration of the 500 years of Santa Marta, CORPAMAG has designed the strategy «Blue Agenda 500 Years»which also includes actions to improve the quality of seawater and the decontamination of the Gaira and Manzanares rivers.
For her part, Janeth Vivas, head of the Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Prevention and Protection Line of the INVEMAR Marine Quality Program, indicated that “the importance of showing these results is to ensure that they serve as input to local, regional and national environmental authorities for decision-making that allows improving environmental quality in marine and coastal ecosystems.” This dissemination updates information that dates back more than 20 years and that we update every year with priority sites that have some degree of risk of contamination or problems that the corporation as the environmental authority of the department and other national and local entities need to address.”
This dissemination of results was attended by different entities and institutions such as: Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, National Natural Parks of Colombia, Regional Attorney’s Office of Magdalena, District Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta, Port Society of Santa Marta, Mayor’s Office of Ciénaga, Regional Ombudsman of Magdalena, District Administrative Department of Environmental Sustainability-DADSA and different private companies.
The technical report and the data collected from this diagnosis will be made available to the authorities and will subsequently be published in the Marine Environmental Information System – SIAM for consultation by the different publics of interest. This is how CORPAMAG and INVEMAR demonstrate that they are united in caring for our seas and coasts.
Press release.
