SOCIOCULTURAL VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF THE BAJO SINÚ MARSH COMPLEX IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CÓRDOBA, COLOMBIA

Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth; however, they are threatened by multiple factors. Despite society's interdependence and continuous interaction with these ecosystems, they are often overlooked in management and decision-making. Therefore, this research aims to socially value the Bajo Sinú Marsh Complex (Marshes: Momil, Zapal, and Guartinaja) according to the importance that the local community and experts place on the ecosystem services they provide. For its development, an environmental characterization was carried out, covering the biophysical and social dimensions. Subsequently, different ecosystem services validated with professionals were identified and then valued through semi-structured surveys and analyzed using statistical software such as SPSS. The results show that, for the community, the most important ecosystem services are cultural (35.86%), regulation (33.72%), and provisioning (30.42%), while experts rank regulation as the most important (36.3%), followed by cultural services (35.1%) and provisioning (28.6%). The results provide a necessary knowledge base for the analysis of the use and exploitation of services, as well as for developing guidelines for the sustainable management of the resources provided by these wetlands.