“Small communities doing big things”: these young people have a plan to protect their islands in the Colombian Caribbean

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The black palm tree painted on the nail of Adrián Caraballo's ring finger peeks out between the leaves of the red mangrove seedlings he organizes. Pulling the dried leaves, the environmental leader arranges the small green stems between cut bottles of Hit juices and Coca-Cola sodas. Those that are ready rest against the sacks stacked in front of a wall painted with a green turtle swimming in the blue sea. These seedlings will be part of one of their future mangrove planting days to combat erosion on some of the islands of the San Bernardo archipelago, in the Colombian Caribbean. “Without mangroves there is no life and without life there is no ecosystem. My life is the sea and the sea is my life,” says Adrián.

The 25-year-old is part of a group of environmentalists from San Bernardo who seek to defend and protect the marine ecosystems and natural resources of the nine islands of the archipelago (there were ten before Isla Maravilla disappeared under the sea in 2015). Some of their initiatives include restoring mangroves, protecting corals from bleaching and irresponsible tourism, caring for sea turtles (which used to be hunted by the community and fishermen as a food source), cleaning beaches, and educating the local community about the importance to fight climate change, preventing their homes from disappearing beneath the waves.

“The mangrove is home to hundreds of species of crustaceans, mollusks, birds and reptiles. Nowadays those species are becoming homeless and just as those species were left homeless, we, the community, could probably be left homeless,” explains Adrián. For him, the mangrove is the lung and kidney of the ocean due to the water filtration and purification processes with which it assists. Adrián, who completed a mangrove rehabilitation course in December, explains that the mangrove's long and numerous roots prevent erosion and flooding, and protect communities from storm surge and bad weather. This protective barrier of the San Bernardo Islands consists of three main species: red mangrove, Zaragoza mangrove and bobo mangrove. But the protective barrier is threatened by the felling of mangroves for the construction of cabins and the rise in sea level due to climate change.

Some cut, dry and dead roots cannot be recovered, but Adrián, along with other young people from the island, organize mangrove planting days where they take thousands of seedlings to the islands to plant them with the help of volunteers, fishermen and children with the hope to restore protective barriers. For Adrián, they are “small communities in small places doing big things,” because despite the absence of the State, they have adopted local initiatives to recover their homes. Although they can grow only a few mangrove seeds in their own nurseries that they collect from Tintipán Island, the environmental leaders of the archipelago acquire the other seedlings through donations from individuals, foundations or private companies that help them buy them in allied nurseries outside the islands. Thus, without help from the State, they depend on external contributions to be able to obtain the mangrove seedlings they need.

Your cell phone ringtone with the reggaeton song Me, Rels B interrupts his hands and the singing of the birds. His job as a tour guide calls him to greet some of the hundreds of tourists who visit daily. Two dozen people get off a boat to participate in the tourist tour of Santa Cruz del Islote, the artificial island of the archipelago, built between corals, filled with garbage, stones and snail shells. Adrián begins the journey by assuring that the small island, just over one hectare, is not the most densely populated in the world, despite its reputation. He states that 219 families and no more than 600 inhabitants live there, contrary to other sources that estimate around 800 or more than 1,000. They are still waiting for the results of the official census carried out at the end of last year, but Adrián assures that the islanders do not want to be recognized for this.

“We are a natural place; a place of beautiful people, a place of tasty people, seafarers, humble and simple people. We are what we are when no one sees us,” she says as she leads the group through the narrow, colorful alleys. The tourists with white skin, sunglasses and rosettes stand out among the natives. Although they pass a stall with crafts made from colorful shells and glass cases displaying watermelons, there are not many other points of sale. It seems that the economic activity of the island, which depends largely on tourism, in addition to fishing, is based on the entry of 10,000 Colombian pesos (a little more than two euros) that each person pays for the tour of less than half an hour. . The islanders, indifferent to the tourists, sit and talk in front of their houses while children play in the streets.

Adrián was born on the islet, but when he was little he only had the possibility of visiting the nearby islands, such as Múcura or Tintipán. The difficult access between the islands surrounded by all kinds of blue tones forces the natives to have their own boat or buy expensive commercial boat tickets if they want to transport themselves away from their home. “That is the situation that people are unaware of; “We are from the islands, but we are unaware of their realities and challenges,” he explains. When he learned about those most affected by mangrove logging, storm surge and coastal erosion, such as Panda Island and Mangle Island, he began his path as an environmental leader to raise awareness among his community. “We, the locals, must set an example so that when they come to visit our territory they talk about a beautiful and healthy island. Let them talk about those impressive colors that we have in the sea, the corals, the fish, the biodiversity,” he says as they reach the final stop at the aquarium.

Adrián points out the turtles swimming alongside fish and sharks and explains how they will be part of a release project. “Previously, when there was no knowledge, the turtle was a fundamental part of the fisherman's life. It was just another league. Many fished them for consumption, others to sell the hawksbill shell. Now, together with the Sea Turtles Foundation, we have been able to develop a community, scientific and research project, where fishermen who find turtles exchange them for chicken and rice instead of eating them,” explains Adrián. This sea turtle release project, where children and fishermen are invited, is one of the local environmental awareness projects in which Adrián participates. For the islander, children are the future and tomorrow of San Bernardo.

At the end of the tour, before going to play dominoes and have a coastal beer, Adrián ends the tour with a poem: “When the visitor comes to San Bernardo, he does not want to leave because its natural wealth does not allow him to travel. I am black, born in the sea, I take my little boat and go fishing. “I come from San Bernardo, a natural place.”