Cienaga de Zapatosa

The cienaga is a complex of connected lakes and flooded land where the Cesar river meets the Magdalena, and its area varies enormously between seasons - it expands substantially in the wet months and contracts in the dry, which is normal for a floodplain wetland and is what makes it productive. It supports large fisheries and very large numbers of waterbirds, including migratory species, and it is a designated Ramsar site. Fishing villages sit around and within it, some reached only by boat, and the traditional canoe fishery with cast nets continues. Pressures on it are substantial: deforestation in the catchment, sediment, agricultural runoff, mining upstream and illegal filling of margins have all been documented as problems.

Background

The Ciénaga de Zapatosa, or Zapatosa Marsh, fills a depression between the Colombian departments of Cesar and Magdalena and covers about 40,000 ha. The freshwater lake at its centre changes in extent with the seasons and is 6 to 8 metres deep. The marsh lies within the municipalities of Chimichagua, Curumaní, Tamalameque and El Banco, whose communities make part of their living from small-scale fishing.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ciénaga de Zapatosa"

The landscape

• A wetland that changes size seasonally - expanding and contracting with the floods.
• Very large waterbird numbers - including migratory species.
• Canoe fishing with cast nets - the traditional fishery.
• A Ramsar site under real pressure - sediment, runoff and encroachment.

When to go

December to March, the drier months. A full day.

Before you go

Access is by boat and arrangements are informal. Heat and humidity are severe with no shade on the water. Tourist infrastructure is essentially absent. Water quality varies and the system is under stress.

Nearby

Chimichagua is on the shore; El Banco is south on the Magdalena.

Key facts