Análisis de la transformación paisajística y elaboración de estrategias de conservación en la Subcuenca del río Chicú en los municipios de Tenjo, Tabio y Cota, Cundinamarca.

Abstract

Today, the rapid growth of the world population has led to a transformation of the landscape and biological diversity due to the demand for water and food. The soil is fundamental for the production of food, the regularization of the hydrological cycle and it is the one who maintains the environmental quality of the ecosystems since they are closely related; The most obvious problems are deforestation and soil degradation due to its improper use and overexploitation, due to the development of intensive agricultural activities, urban expansion and associated infrastructure, in addition to the decrease in the supply and availability of water resources. Colombia is no stranger to these difficulties, which, although it has a great variety of climates and forests, many of them are fragmented; deforestation has a negative impact as it makes the territory more vulnerable to climatic events and, on the other hand, exacerbates the erosion and sedimentation of hydrographic basins. It is also worth mentioning that changes in land cover and their degradation contribute to global warming and this also implies a reduction in soil organic carbon. At present, the expansion in urbanization, the lack of planning and territorial ordering mean that the proper use of the land is not promoted, not taking into account the concordance between vocation and use triggers socioeconomic and environmental conflicts that are manifested through low food production, growth of poverty and migration of the population settled in rural areas to populated centers. The sub-basin of the Chicú River is of great importance for the municipalities of Tabio, Tenjo and Cota since representative activities such as agriculture, livestock, flower production, among others, are carried out around it. From this perspective, the present work consists of carrying out a multi-temporal analysis which aims to evaluate, through geographic information systems, the changes in land use and vegetation cover that occurred during the periods 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 through of the interpretation of satellite images; Next, a direct connection was found between economic activities (agriculture and livestock) in the study area and the change in vegetation cover, since they are associated with deforestation, urbanization and soil degradation that causes the loss of organic carbon, contributing to climate change. Subsequently, an investigation was carried out identifying the potential of organic carbon in the soil of the Chicú River sub-basin and the actions that deteriorate its capture and fixation, in addition to the problems and practices that favor the detriment of biodiversity. The results obtained from this project serve as a tool to make reasonable decisions, through the design of new strategies that promote conservation actions and sustainable use of natural resources, guaranteeing the environmental integrity of the sub-basin.