Adrián Caraballo feels happy and grateful from the little piece of land of just one hectare, surrounded by salt water, where he lives with 825 other people. “We feel the connection with the ocean and, despite being in such a small place, we have that other immense space that is the sea full of marine life,” explains this social and environmental leader of 25 years since Santa Cruz del Islotea tiny island in the Colombian Caribbean with a reputation for being the most densely populated island in the world.
This tourist attraction, which is not supported by any official data, attracts hundreds of visitors, but divides the locals and increases their concern for the preservation of the small island. “I don't want us to be known this way, because many tourists look down on us and interpret that there is poverty and overcrowding here. They don't know that we are rich, that we have the sea. Here coexistence is peaceful, no one has more than anyone else and we share the little we have. It is called island solidarity,” Caraballo insists.
“Those of us who are environmentally conscious do not want to be sold that way. Furthermore, I don't know who has proven that we are the most densely populated island because there are no statistics to corroborate it nor any Guinness record to prove it. “They are pure speculation,” says Alexander Atencio, a teacher for 18 years at the island's school. Indeed, sources of Marine and Coastal Research Institute (Invemar) from Colombia consulted by this newspaper acknowledged that there is no official source that can confirm that it is the most populated in the world, but they admitted that it has always been considered that way.
Many tourists look over our shoulders and interpret that here there is misery, poverty, overcrowding and they do not know that we are rich, that we have the sea
Adrián Caraballo, resident of Santa Cruz del Islote
Santa Cruz del Islote is part of the San Bernardo archipelago, within the Corales del Rosario National Park, and is located about three hours by boat from the famous colonial city of Cartagena de Indias. All its islands live off of visitors who come attracted by the sun and paradisiacal beaches. “It is predatory and excessive tourism that can activate the economy in the short term, but in the future there will be problems if something is not done to be responsible and ecologically conscious. Today there is a great imbalance in the ecosystem for a simple reason: the capacity of the islands,” Atencio considers.
His warnings are well known. A 2011 ruling by Colombian Council of State ratified a judicial ruling from an administrative court that confirmed that the 27 islands of Rosario and the 10 of the San Bernardo archipelago, including the islet, suffered a severe environmental impact due to massive tourist pressure and ordered their urgent protection. More than 10 years later, the authorities have done nothing to protect the biodiversity of the place.
Living off tourism
For many inhabitants of the islet, however, tourism is a blessing. An average of 500 people disembark at the site daily, mainly from large Colombian cities such as Bogotá, Medellín or Cali. There are four modest hostels on the small island that can accommodate about 20 people, but visitors usually spend the night on the nearby islands of Tintipán and Múcura or come on a day trip from Cartagena or Tolú.
“Welcome to the most densely populated island in the world,” the locals greet the tourist boats. Each visitor pays about 10,000 Colombian pesos (just over two euros) in exchange for a short guided tour of about 25 minutes. The guides summarize the history of the island and tell you some curiosities. “The islet has 146 houses and was born built with stone, rubble and garbage, gaining ground from the sea. 74 years ago a fire destroyed all the houses made of palm and bahareque. There were no victims, but the houses were rebuilt again, now with stronger materials. We have four stores, a cockpit, a health center, a church and a school. We don't have police. We had an inspector, but he took over, left and never came back,” explains Gleisis Liliana Barboza, one of the 24 local guides organized into a cooperative. The visit concludes in an aquarium where visitors have the opportunity to bathe with a harmless shark and observe turtles and fish.
Each visitor pays about 10,000 Colombian pesos (just over two euros) in exchange for a short guided tour of about 25 minutes.
Tourism has thus been replacing ancestral fishing, which was declining also due to overexploitation and destruction of ecosystems. “There are no longer people who go fishing far away, out to sea, in the Gulf. The people who still fish are dedicated to diving fishing,” laments Adrián Caraballo.
He also makes a living from tourism as a guide, but as an environmentalist he observes with concern this excess of visits that is producing, among others, an increase in waste generation: “There is some tourism that is conscious and another that is not. We try to ensure that each visitor takes responsibility for their waste.” Garbage management is one of the great challenges in Santa Cruz del Islote. The community is making an effort to reduce the impact of waste, but the habit of separating for recycling is not yet widespread among the local population.
A person is in charge of collecting the garbage that is generated throughout the islet daily, stores it and transports it to the neighboring island of Tintipán, where another person checks the bags and separates the recyclables that, every 15 days, are taken by a boat to Cartagena. The rest is buried in Tintipán. “I estimate that we can recover 70% for recycling. The hotels in the archipelago are responsible for separating themselves,” explains Omar Vanega, one of those responsible for waste management on the islet.
Another problem is the many sediments and waste that appear floating in the sea from other islands and coastal cities. Caraballo assures that they are studying a type of brand audit to involve the companies whose packaging appears in the water, so that they accompany them in the cleaning or help them train. “A few months ago we did volunteer work where we planted mangroves and removed a ton of garbage from the sea,” he says.
Instilling environmental habits in people's consciousness has also had some important advances. “Since the foundation Sea turtle that we believe we put an end to the consumption of turtle. We explained to the fishermen the importance of this species for marine biodiversity and the role it has in protecting corals. In addition, we encourage them and, if they find a turtle, we exchange it for a chicken or grain,” says Caraballo proudly.
The B side of the islet
On this small island there are important structural deficiencies. The lack of
space means that there is hardly any cultural life or leisure places for children, beyond the stretch of street that faces the school and that serves as a playground. At the school, 226 boys and girls study in two shifts, some of whom come from neighboring islands. Atencio, who is the teacher, believes that the future of these islands lies precisely through education, and explains that they are immersed in a pedagogical project that combines the ethnic notion, sustainable environmental development and community spirit. “It is an approach of direct relationship with ecosystems, with the preservation of culture and identity. Here we talk about Maritorioa concept that wants to understand the sea as a whole.”
It is predatory and excessive tourism that can activate the economy in the short term, but in the future there will be problems if something is not done to make it responsible and ecologically conscious.
Alexander Atencio, professor
The site's energy comes from solar panels that are frequently damaged and a plant that supplies electricity at night. Furthermore, Santa Cruz del Islote has been without a community council for almost a year, the body in charge of interacting with institutions. The islet has its own health center with a permanent doctor and an assistant, but they continue to demand an ambulance boat so that, in cases of emergencies, they do not depend on individuals or the coast guard. Isolation had its good side during the coronavirus pandemic, as no cases of covid were recorded.
There is no cemetery on the islet either. The dead, after a procession through the streets of the town, are taken to Tintipán, the island opposite, which has an area of 80 hectares. It also does not have drinking water. The locals shower with sea water and every two and a half months a ship from the National Navy brings them water and fills the island's enormous tanks. A committee is in charge of distributing it to the entire community. During the rainy season, from November to May, people collect water in tanks. The sewage goes to septic tanks that flow into the sea, a pending issue that requires a significant investment. “We depend on the mayor of Cartagena de Indias, but they never visit us or allocate resources,” Caraballo laments.
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