Coastal erosion monitoring in Colombia: overview and study cases on Caribbean and Pacific coasts

Tourism is one of the fastest growing activities in Colombia; the coast represents the favourite destination for both national and foreign visitors. However, coastal erosion is an actual problem, with high erosive rates in some areas. This chapter shows a general overview of the coastal erosion problem in Colombia and emphasizes the institutional framework used in monitoring. Four study cases are included to present a wide diagnosis of relevant erosive processes, both on Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Findings show erosive rates due to human interventions in all coastal departments on the Caribbean Sea; highest values were recorded in Cordoba (3.3 m/yr), Magdalena (5.3 m/yr) and La Guajira (3.2 m/yr). In addition, monitoring of barrier islands indicated that erosive processes on the Pacific coast are essentially due to natural phenomena, i.e. tsunami and El Niño events. In conclusion, long-term coastal erosion monitoring is urgently required in order to make adequate decisions and assess their effectiveness, with special concern to the correct location of coastal infrastructure and the management of coastal risks.