Bogota, 09.04.

19

Dear.

Programme of International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology; University of Bremen

The world for some reason is going through a period of devolution, where all the environmental
expectations and progress are being hindered by the benefits of some. The third world countries
are not out of the equation, following this path threatening the human most precious good, our
water resource.

Since I was a kid, one of my favorite hobbies (introduced by my parents) was to travel to natural
places, becoming every time more concern about the human impacts over the nature and the
importance of taking care of our land. This contact with nature and the ´boy scouts´ group over
school helped me to focus my life to seek for environmental wellness. As part of the society I have
learned that the usage of natural resources is our way to existence, being a race that keeps
growing and having continuous needs and demands of consumption; but after becoming an
environmental and sanitary engineer I understood that this usage must be in a sustainable way,
seeking for options to cover the population demand in an efficient way for current and future
needs.

While working as the environmental coordinator for an airport on a coastal city, I started my
career as a scuba diver, moment when I get concern about the maritime ecosystems and how the
lack of environmental education and the poor laws that protect the coastal resources allows the
cities and industries to affects the mangrove swamps, the rivers, and the aquatic life with the
continuous and irresponsible discharges. An example of these is the city of Barranquilla, where
over the rainy season strong and hazardous water streams cover the main roads, used by the
citizens to throw the trash, leading all the wastes to the river and the pollutants to the sea,
without analyzing and taking in account the risk for the coral reefs and their fauna and flora, and
all the human consumption that comes from this polluted points.

Living in a country with the geographical location that Colombia have, makes us an ecologically
gifted area with the presence of the Caribean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, with more than 2800 km
of coral reef over the country, where the 77% is located on the San Andres and Providence
Seaflower Natural Reserve, one of the most important over the world, with a sea offer that
exceeds over 160 species of fish, mollusks and crustaceans, and with a vast quantity of natural
strategic ecosystems qualified as habitat of endangered and endemic species, place of passage for
migratory species and pristine ecosystems.

On the other hand, a new world country that is just starting to understand the importance of
protecting our natural resources, with weak educational programs and laws, that well orientated
could lead to conservation polices where the unstoppable impacts to the coastal ecosystems made
by domestic, industrial and agricultural activities could be controlled.

After some years of work experience I have learned how the industry moves around
environmental laws and policies, giving structure from the top to the countries environmental
needs, putting the ´lowest´ parameters for the industries and populations to follow, where the real
change can be made. In addition, I have seen the importance of strong educational projects
focused on the communities and the users of the resources, which can lead to responsibly and
efficient consumption programs.

I want to be there, being part of the generation of the change, helping Colombia from the base,
teaching and forging with knowledge the laws and policies, seeking for environmental and
economic projects focused on our estuaries, mangroves, deltas, and all the coral and sea
ecosystems that the country have. This is why I decided to continue my studies, to be strong in the
knowledge on this area, and the best way to start is with a university degree.

Here´s how you come in, giving me the opportunity to learn from you, with the best tools and
professors on coastal dynamics, aquatic fauna and flora, aquatic pollution and parameters that a
master degree as ISATEC has, teaching me how to orientate sustainable projects on tropical
ecosystems that benefits the society and the environment with an international compound.

I see my future teaching, investigating, and making international sustainable projects that helps
Colombia and the worlds needs, improving environmentally for a change with direction to the
protection of the water resource. To get there I need to learn from a country as yours, Germany,
with the highest technology, laws and education on environmental aspects, with strong quality
standards. That’s why I want to be part of the University of Bremen, which fits with the ISATEC
program to my needs, hand by hand with the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, the
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Max Planck Institute for
Marine Microbiology (MPI).

To make things happen you need a little bit of passion and a little bit of love. I will not be perfect,
but I will give my best to seek for the excellence.

´´But there´s a way to contribute to the protection of humanity, and it is not to resign oneself. Do
not look with indifference as the infinite richness that forms the universe that surrounds us
disappears from our gaze, with its colors, sounds and perfumes.´´ -Ernesto Sabato.

Hope to see you soon!

Camilo Andres Arrieta.

Environmental and Sanitary Engineer.

Universidad de La Salle