Yosef Harvey CORTES MILLAN, Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas, Colombia
Johan Andres AVENDAÑO ARIAS , Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas, Colombia
The preservation of natural resources, protection of the environment, as well as indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the north of La Guajira Colombia, have been affected by the mega-mining project by the El Cerrejón mine. This is why in this document socio-spatial problems are highlighted, as a result of mining exploitation in this territory, such as: Loss of vegetation and water resources as a consequence of the diversion of natural channels (Rio Ranchería and Arroyo Bruno) and modification of the geographic space.
These problems were approached from a contextual analysis (anthropic relations), as well as a methodological one, through digital image processing and geographic information systems; that result in their recognition and modeling, highlighting the impact given by the mega mining project in the north of La Guajira Colombia.
The expansion project proposed by the Cerrejón mine directly affects natural resources, the environment and human settlements near the mine; damage that throughout history has caused the loss of vegetation, tropical dry forest, streams, indigenous and Afro-descendant settlements.
From the current diversion of the Bruno Creek, it is concluded that the loss of water resources is present, giving a greater exposure to solar radiation, thus allowing evaporation and a decrease in the flow, which directly affects the settlements that are supplied by it.
From the multitemporal analysis, the loss of vegetation from 1996 to 2020 is alarming, where a decrease of 36.68% of healthy vegetation shows the environmental impact of the reconfiguration of the geographic space, given the increase from 1562.23 hectares exploited in 1986 to 12697.52 in 2020 approximately.
It is important to mention that a future modification to the main channel of the Ranchería River for coal exploitation by the Cerrejón mine could unleash a myriad of socio-spatial problems such as those described here.
Mots clés : Arroyo Bruno|Digital image processing|Geographic information systems|Río Ranchería|The Cerrejón Mine
A105471YC