Mangrove research in Colombia: Temporal trends, geographical coverage and research gaps

• Published in: Estuarine, coastal and shelf science coastal and shelf science, 2021-01, Vol.248, p.106799, Article 106799
• Main Authors: Castellanos-Galindo, Gustavo A., Kluger, Lotta C., Camargo, Maria A., Cantera, Jaime, Mancera Pineda, José Ernesto, Blanco-Libreros, Juan F., Wolff, Matthias
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bibliometrics; Google Scholar; Mangrove research; Neotropics; Scopus; Web of Science
• ISSN: 0272-7714; 1096-0015
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106799

Mangroves are prevalent coastal ecosystems along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Colombia, with several structural features and service provisions that make them important regionally and globally. Despite this importance and the existence of national laws to protect them, research on these ecosystems has been historically scarce if compared to the terrestrial ecosystems of the country. Here, we analyse historical trends of mangrove research in Colombia for the time period 1900 until 2018. To do so, a systematic literature search was carried out based on the Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and Google Scholar scientific citation databases. A noticeable increase in the number of mangrove studies in Colombia was found in the 2001–2010 decade. Although the Colombian Pacific contains ca. 80% of the country's mangroves, a greater number of mangrove studies has been conducted on the Caribbean coast. Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, a degraded but productive coastal lagoon, is by far the most studied mangrove site in Colombia. Google Scholar was able to capture ~10 times more studies (mostly grey literature and peer reviewed articles in Spanish) than the Web of Science and Scopus databases, indicating the need to include this type of information in systematic reviews. We propose that future mangrove research in Colombia should prioritize: (1) historically understudied areas where degradation threats are strongest (e.g. near planned infrastructure projects), (2) areas poorly examined but likely to contain healthy, carbon-rich and tall mangroves (e.g. most of the Pacific coast) and (3) interdisciplinary studies that provide for a more holistic social-ecological understanding of Colombian mangrove systems. Our broad synthesis approach is applicable to other countries or regions with extensive mangrove areas and it is likely to help scoping future research and conservation efforts in these ecosystems. [Display omitted] •A systematic review has helped to identify mangrove research priorities in Colombia.•The Colombian Pacific coast, where most mangroves are located, has been under-studied.•~90% of literature on mangroves in Colombia has been published in local journals.•Degraded mangrove forests on the Caribbean coast have received most attention from researchers.•USA and Germany have been the strongest partners for mangrove research with Colombia.