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International Journal of Marine Science 2013, Vol.3, No.29, 225-237
http://ijms.sophiapublisher.com
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Protection land
In the Colombia´s territorial land use planning, the
protection lands are those areas that due to their
geographical, landscaping or environmental
characteristics or being part of the public use area for
the location of infrastructure for public utilities supply
or been non-mitigable threats and risks area for the
location of human settlements, have the developing
possibility restricted (Law 388 of 1997). Similar
classification regarding the ground uses planning in
coastal areas have been proposed in Canada (Stewart
et al., 2003) and for the Oregon coasts (United States)
(Smith, 2002), in which the coast line protection areas,
maintenance of the water quality for human
consumption in towns, maintenance of the landscape
quality and conservation of the ecosystems.
One of the critical aspects in the determination of the
coastal areas ground protection is the identification of
the environmental interest areas that consider the
strategic ecosystems found in the municipalities. The
coastal ground uses planning proposals made for
Canada and United States (Farris, 2002; Gilman, 2002;
Smith, 2002; Stewart et al., 2003), as well as the ones
proposed by ICZM (Portman, 2007; Thampanya et al.,
2006; Yañez-Arancibia and Day, 2004a, b), priorize
the identification of areas for the coastal ecosystems
conservation such as beaches, estuaries, coastal
lagoons, low river watersheds and marshes, among
others, due to their diversity, their environmental
functions (i.e. protection of the coast line) and for the
support they grant to the productive activities.
For the coastal area of the Colombian Pacific, it is
fundamental to take into account that strategic
ecosystems such as the mangroves, beaches or
estuaries, must take precedence as protection grounds
(that is, not available for development), tending to its
conservation by means of preservation, recovery and
sustainable use, and traditional actions. For the case of
the estuaries and the marine ecosystems, though they
are not directly under the jurisdiction of the
municipalities, it is basic to consider them, taking into
account that all the activities performed in the
continental part may affect them.
3.3 Prospective
The results obtained indicate that, in general, the
territorial land use plans of the Colombian Pacific
coastal areas, present weakness in the identification of
programs and projects oriented to the management of
the pollution sources, the maintenance of the Ocean
and Coastal ecosystems environmental quality, the
control of the human settlement expansion toward the
Ocean and Coastal ecosystems, the conservation and
recovery of the delta estuaries and the prevention and
reduction of the risk in the presence of ocean and
coastal natural threats (tsunamis, coastal erosion, rise
of the sea level, etc.).
Based on the principles and guidance of the ICZM
(Cicin-Sain and Knecht, 1998; Mc Clanahan et al.,
2005; Portman, 2007; Thampanya et al., 2006;
Yañez-Arancibia and Day, 2004a, b), as well as in
coastal areas use planning proposals (Farris, 2002;
Gilman, 2002; Smith, 2002; Stewart et al., 2003), the
territorial land use planning for the municipalities of
the Colombian Pacific coastal area, must be
strengthened in the Design and implementation of
programs and projects in aspects such as: a)
Conservation and rehabilitation of strategic
ecosystems such as mangroves, beaches, estuaries
and deltas; b) Wilderness fauna protection and
hydrobiological resources; c) Maintenance of the
ecosystems functions; d) Management of the pollution
by terrestrial and marine sources that affect the human
population and the ecosystems; e) Prevention and
mitigation of the risk in the presence of natural threats,
especially those associated to coastal areas (coastal
erosion, tsunami, sea level rise); f) Sustainable
development of productive activities; g) Definition of
protected areas; h) Promotion of the environmental
education among the area inhabitants.
4 Conclusions
As of the analysis carried out, it is concluded that the
ICZM principles incorporated to the territorial land
use planning processes in the Colombian Pacific,
could be the opportunity to minimize from land to sea
the impacts and generate a spatial and temporary
integration of the inter-institutional task in the local
environment.
The coastal zone delimitation, is one the most
important criteria to consider the land use planning
process. This criterion allow including the marine
and coastal strategic ecosystems and to define the