Bladimir Basabe Sánchez, Specialist in Environmental Education and Pedagogy; Social Psychologist
Background
Discovering GlobalGoals2024 is like the rediscovery of Varadero’s Coral Reef Hope Spot: it was all by chance, and that is how it has been recorded in history.
In the middle of a meeting with one of the Colombian colleagues who also participated in GlobalGoals2024, held last March in the city of Bogotá, he presented me with the public call to present socio-environmental ideas for innovation at this event: I was unaware of the existence of this call, although I already deduced that, due to its impact, it would have an impact on international decisions such as the revitalization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
That’s how I wanted to review a little more information, which I found on their website: shortly after, and after having organized the information that I had consolidated since 2016, I wrote the summary that, to my total surprise, was accepted by the Organizing Committee in April.
Surprise because it was the first time I wrote in English for an important academic event at an international level, to be held on a continent other than my own. Although I have had some command of the language since I was a child, it was the first time I would have the opportunity to do immersion, and it was a challenge to be able to understand cultural issues at an interesting level. I planned the trip, which was not without some difficulties, and finally I moved from Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, to the city of Utrecht with great expectations.
The presentation
Having presented the existence of Varadero’s Coral Reef at this event got the reaction of only one person in the entire panel. Just one! The reason was more than obvious because this professor had already had the opportunity to, at least, carry out a work in the city of Cartagena de Indias and it is here where the Varadero reef is located, contained in the Bay of Cartagena and the Caribbean Sea adjacent to the island of Barú.
The rest is history: the video of a song that I put together with local music that contains lyrics and many images of the biological and ecological resources of Varadero, in addition to the slides that expressed an idea under construction for the formal conservation of Varadero’s Coral Reef Hope Spot from the definition of elements for a new public policy of environmental education in the city of Cartagena de Indias, and the identification of contextualized environmental education strategies.
This proposal is the result of my professional and voluntary experience as a leader in the citizen collective “Salvemos Varadero”, who for more than 10 years, has contributed to the positioning and recognition of Varadero’s Coral Reef Hope Spot as a unique strategic ecosystem that has survived the high level of pollution in Cartagena Bay, where there are no more coral reefs today. The work of Salvemos Varadero, documented in multiple media, academic, social and institutional scenarios, has paved the way for the environmental authorities of Colombia to manage its declaration as a future marine protected area. Likewise, its protection will guarantee the continuity of the goods and services that, for many years, have been used sustainably by the Afro-Caribbean communities located in its area of influence.
As I mentioned: this idea is under construction and all contributions are welcome. If you, dear reader, would like to participate or propose a formal project with me to make this idea a reality, please write to me at bbasabes@hotmail.com or coralesdevaradero@gmail.com . If you are from a research institute or a university, that would be great.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the people who made my trip to participate in GlobalGoals2024 possible, as well as those who accompanied me in person and from a distance: they know who they are! Also, thanks to Fronika De Wit, Mara Wendebourg and Ghilherme De Queiroz Stein for helping me with the doubts I had before the event, helping to make things easier and simpler.
Social media links for more information
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvemosVaradero
Instagram: salvemosvaradero
