Participación comunitaria en el proceso de protección del patrimonio territorial en el Correguimiento de La Boquilla (Cartagena de Indias – Colombia)

Abstract

The territorial heritage of La Boquilla is a reflection of the cultural and environmental conditions that its inhabitants were able to develop and preserve for many years in their territory. Its cultural practices have developed around a natural heritage consisting of beach, sea, marsh and mangrove forest. In its last years, its heritage is irrigated by a series of factors that deteriorate the ecological harmony, especially in the Ciénega de la Virgen, a product of the anthropic practices of commercial, urban and industrial character that exert pressure on the biological system. In addition, we assist in the occupation of mangroves by filling, felling and population concentration. In view of the threats of the patrimonial risk, organizational initiatives have been promoted around the socio-environmental and patrimonial problems through organizational forms of social, cultural, economic and community nature associated to the cultural and natural heritage elements. However, their associative practices have taken place in a sectorized and disjointed manner between the different organizations, making community participation an ineffective process for the management and protection of heritage. Faced with this problem, the research carried out starts from considering that the territorial heritage of La Boquilla can be protected and preserved by participatory processes from the organizational bases of the community, acting in an articulated manner and in a community network The conceptual and methodological framework of this doctoral thesis is based on a qualitative method and a descriptive interpretive research design. Likewise, with a participatory research approach as a key element to look at the processes of community participation in La Boquilla around the protection of territorial heritage. The framework of community participation is based, then, on participatory research that seeks a way to relate to knowledge other than conventional research. The document is structured in 6 chapters. Chapter number one shows the structural aspects of the thesis, related to the problematic and methodological aspects of the research Chapter number two refers to the conceptual and terminological framework necessary for the understanding of the subject under study. Chapter three addresses the methodological aspects of research that express the techniques and sources for the collection of information and its analysis process. The techniques were defined according to the type of information, whether primary or secondary. Chapter 4 corresponds to a territorial delimitation of the Nozzle through a characterization of the most relevant socio-economic aspects. It is a town with a cultural tradition around fishing, Ciénega and Mangles that makes them particularly distinct and their own heritage. Chapter 5 presents the results of the research where the developments of the specific objectives of the study are reflected. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions and recommendations that reflect significant aspects as a result of the work carried out and the findings found on the basis that La Boquilla is recognized with a diversity of natural and cultural heritage elements that require that its inhabitants begin to value more. The proposed models is the creation of the Community Network that works for a common project from its local potentials and capacities.