Johann Delgado

Evaluation of the coastal resilience in the Bay of Buenaventura, Colombia before extreme wave events and sea level rise under climate change

Location of the project: Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Sector: Engineering
Highest Degree earned Bch. Civil Engineering, MSc student (Engineering and Hydraulic Resources)
Type of the project: Applied

Johann is an early career Civil Engineer, and strongly believes that interdisciplinary work is the key to develop a holistic vision of problems and solutions in the conservation area. He is a young researcher in the interaction of water resources and communities.

The Bay of Buenaventura, Colombia is an important stopover and wintering place for 8,000 shorebirds that cross its coast every year, which coexist in synergy with local communities. However, the bay is changing with an increase of extreme waves and sea level rise caused by climate change. Additionally, the bay is impacted with infrastructure development and deforestation. This alteration of the coastal ecosystems is reducing the habitat quality for shorebirds. In addition, the conservation efforts that have been implemented to address this problem have been insufficient and have lacked planning and a complete understanding of the threats.

For Johann, becoming a Coastal Solution Fellow represents a great opportunity to lead conservation efforts in Buenaventura, Colombia.  Johann will collect and generate, through field measurements and numerical modeling, knowledge about coastal vulnerability scenarios and adaptation strategies that supports the conservation of the coastal zone that provide habitat of shorebirds. Additionally, with the use of this information, his project will empower and provide information to decision makers and local organizations to increase the coastal resilience of the bay.