Biodiversity assessment in the artificial reefs of the thematic diving park, Vásquez swam sector, Island of Barú, 2016
Since 2004 in the Vásquez swam area, it was started the deployment of shipwrecks to establish an attractive diving site nearby Cartagena city, in the buffering location of the National Natural Park Rosario and San Bernardo Corals. The main goal of this initiative is to reduce the impact of diving activities in the marine protected area, promote sustainable ecotourism, and biodiversity conservation.
The Atlas tugboat was the first habitat deployed in 2004. Posteriorly, during 2006 the ARC Tolú tugboat was installed together with the Atlas. After nine years, the Museum of Art and the Environment introduced the artwork “Jellyfish’s Garden” of the artist Germán Botero in May 2015. At the end of the same year, the Colombian Commission of the Ocean and the Colombian National Navy disposed of the emblematic vessel ARC Quindío who served the country for more than 60 years. Likewise, Eduardoño S.A. through its foundation in allusion to the 70 years of the company creation, deployed five fiberglass boats and the “paper little boat” to strengthen the thematic park establishment.
In 2016 by an initiative of different institutions such as the Colombian Commission of the Ocean – CCO, Conservation International Colombia – CI, Malpelo Foundation and Other Marine Ecosystems, Eduardoño Foundation, and MoAm, the assessment of these artificial reefs began aiming to know their ecological evolution, the impacts in the conservation and biodiversity, as well as the potential for ecotourism, through:
