Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park
Encyclopedia
The Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park is a natural park located in the Sucre
and Bolívar Department
s on the coast of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, 45 km from the Bay of Cartagena
. It was the most visited national park in Colombia in 2009, with 318,473 visitors.
Most of the park is underwater and it mainly protects marine ecosystems, including coral reef
s living on depths ranging from one to 30 meters.
s in the Colombian Caribbean with coral reefs on its territories, the other two being Tayrona
and Old Providence McBean Lagoon
.
It was established in 1977 to protect the coral reef on one of the islands in the Islas del Rosario
archipelago
, originally extending 178 km² (68.7 sq mi). In 1988, an area of 195 km² (75.3 sq mi) was incorporated, and finally in 1996 the park was expanded to the present area, 1200 km² (463.3 sq mi), including Archipiélago de San Bernardo.
The park is molded by the Caribbean and Panama currents, as well as freshwater from Canal del Dique
. Sediments brought from Magdalena River
by the channel is having a negative effect of the park, as it deteriorates the reef. There are no bodies of freshwater in the park, but there is brackish water
in some of the lagoon
s on the islands. Average yearly temperature is 27–30°C.
s and crustacean
s. The flora is characterized by mangrove
s and seagrass
beds.
Sucre Department
Sucre is a department in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The department ranks 27th by area, and it has a population of 772,010, ranking 20th of all the 32 departments of Colombia...
and Bolívar Department
Bolívar Department
Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was named after one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. It is located to the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the Magdalena River, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.Its...
s on the coast of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, 45 km from the Bay of Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
. It was the most visited national park in Colombia in 2009, with 318,473 visitors.
Most of the park is underwater and it mainly protects marine ecosystems, including coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s living on depths ranging from one to 30 meters.
General
It is Colombia's only underwater park, and one of three national parkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s in the Colombian Caribbean with coral reefs on its territories, the other two being Tayrona
Tayrona National Natural Park
The Tayrona National Natural Park is a protected area in the Colombian northern Caribbean region and within the jurisdiction of the Department of Magdalena and some 34 km from the city of Santa Marta...
and Old Providence McBean Lagoon
Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Natural Park
The Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Natural Park is a national park located on the northeast side of Providencia Island in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombia....
.
It was established in 1977 to protect the coral reef on one of the islands in the Islas del Rosario
Islas del Rosario
The Islas del Rosario is one of the 46 Natural National Parks of Colombia, created in order to protect one of the most important coral reefs of the Colombian Caribbean coast.-Characteristics:...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
, originally extending 178 km² (68.7 sq mi). In 1988, an area of 195 km² (75.3 sq mi) was incorporated, and finally in 1996 the park was expanded to the present area, 1200 km² (463.3 sq mi), including Archipiélago de San Bernardo.
The park is molded by the Caribbean and Panama currents, as well as freshwater from Canal del Dique
Canal del Dique
The Canal del Dique is a 118 km canal connecting Cartagena Bay to the Magdalena River in the Bolívar Department in northern Colombia. The river port is Calamar...
. Sediments brought from Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
by the channel is having a negative effect of the park, as it deteriorates the reef. There are no bodies of freshwater in the park, but there is brackish water
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
in some of the lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s on the islands. Average yearly temperature is 27–30°C.
Flora and fauna
Most of the wildlife is marine. The park is home to 170 species of fish, 52 corals, 25 sponges, hundreds of molluscMollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
s and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s. The flora is characterized by mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s and seagrass
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
beds.