Understanding the Past to Envision a Sustainable Future: A Social–Ecological History of the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area (Colombia)

Abstract

Urban growth is one of the major sustainability challenges due to its regional and planetary impacts. In the Colombian Caribbean, one of the most biodiverse places in the world, the Barranquilla Metropolitan Area (BMA) is the main urban agglomeration that has driven landscape transformation. We performed a historical analysis of human-nature relationships in the BMA using a social-ecological approach and the adaptive cycle metaphor to identify the main drivers of change and to point out emergent lessons for sustainability transition. Based on the analysis of existing literature, time series data and ecosystem distribution changes through time, we found that the natural capital has been degraded, human-social capital has had periods of crisis and recovery, while physical-financial capital has increased. The BMA is currently in a highly vulnerable situation and faces great challenges to be sustainable. We discuss the system´s possible future paths: a new collapse due to natural capital depletion, stagnation in a very vulnerable state, or a reorganization. We argue that viewing and managing the BMA as a social-ecological system would contribute to move forward in a sustainable direction.

Assessment of Land Cover Changes in the Hinterland of Barranquilla (Colombia) Using Landsat Imagery and Logistic Regression

“…The increase of settlement structures in Barranquilla and its immediate environs is related to various processes, such as population and economic growth, development of infrastructure, and urban sprawl. Aldana-Domínguez et al [21] defined historical periods in the course of Barranquilla's development. The last two periods are referred to as urban decay , characterized by a massive rural-urban migration, and globalisation (1989-today), characterized by low rates of population growth, economic recovery, high capital expenditure, and segregation between city quarters.…”

“…Spatial segregation into a rather rich north and a rather poor south went hand in hand with the construction activities implemented between Barranquilla and Puerto Colombia and with the associated migration. Over the past years the southern areas of Barranquilla and Soledad received the majority of Colombians displaced by the armed conflict and a considerable influx of migrants from Venezuela [21]. The trends in Barranquilla, such as urban sprawl, segregation, re-densification and urban growth along primary streets, are similar to other cities in the Global South, although each city has its individual characteristics [26,28,31,72,73].…”

“…The floodplains and delta of the Magdalena River consist of swamps, marsh areas, abandoned channels, lagoons, and mangroves with high seasonal and interannual dynamics [38]. Recently, construction activities along the coastline and the main road to Cartagena increased including the construction of housing complexes for recreational and touristic purposes [21,32]. Cattle breeding is the most common land use in the plains, with its grasslands interspersed by single trees and small ponds.…”

Land Use Changes and Their Perception in the Hinterland of Barranquilla, Colombian Caribbean

“…Although the situation regarding mining licenses is unclear, another major intervention could be pending in the future. In other parts of the Atlántico Department, the extraction of sand and gravel has already caused larger losses of woody vegetation areas [7,8]. These developments are driven by urban assets, construction companies, and sales of land by medium-sized landholders; and they threaten the remnants of tropical dry forest.…”

“…Two recent studies about land use and land cover changes and their drivers exist for the Barranquilla area: an analysis of the social-ecological history of the Barranquilla metropolitan region [7] and a regional assessment of land cover changes between 1985 and 2017 for the northern part of the Atlántico Department [8]. These studies describe various processes such as urbanization, the abandonment of agricultural land, the dynamics of woody vegetation driven by population concentration, infrastructure projects, sand and gravel extraction, and further socio-economic and political changes [7,8]. A local study could provide a more detailed view of the interaction of drivers and environmental degradation [9].…”