, , ,

For a trashless ocean

Plastic

PLASTIC. Plastic. PlAsTiC. PLASTIC. There are lots of stories about plastic going around in the news all the time nowadays, saying how there are mountains of plastic floating around in the ocean. But it’s hard to envision your disposable toothbrush or your food wrappers actually making it to the ocean, right?

 

Here in Santa Catalina, we see that as a reality. Currents bring plastics from all over to our shores. Did you know that 79% of plastic waste we accumulate sticks around in landfills, the ocean, and other terrestrial environments for hundreds of years if not more? That may be hard for us to imagine, but maybe not so much for our marine wildlife.

 

Here, we see the direct impact that the waste we produce has on the marine environment. That can be pretty heavy sometimes, and make you feel a bit helpless.

BUT, we figure that sitting around moping about it probably isn’t going to help. That’s why we do the best we can to try and help out where we can. We start by trying to reduce our actions in forms such as not buying plastic bottles, and instead using reusable bottles. We also try to be proactive where we can, and organise beach cleans, like our recent event on Estero beach.

A huge thank you to all who helped us cleaning and a special thanks to the guys from trashless who supported us also on their website.

Trashless Ocean

With the desire to do more about the pollution problem than just minimizing the own impact, Rosa, founder of trashless created a website to join all the world’s motivated trash pickers together  . On trashless.earth you can connect with like-minded people, find initiatives and events like our beach clean up close to where you are.

The trashmap makes it super easy to find these events and also to read news and find other users close to you.  Share your knowledge, skills and inspirations in rescuing our Planet from all the pollution on the Activity feed. You can create your own Clean ups, invite people and ask for help with the organisation and supporting of your event. Or just looking for some products to reduce your own plastic use? They also have many suggestions and  information for that as well, and you can also add your own zero plastic products.

So if you’ve ever felt hopeless and like you couldn’t do or change anything, this site is what you are looking for. It makes it a lot easier and joyfull to do something about this global problem.

Stay motivated and don’t give up. It’s not to late!-By Inga

/by
, ,

Beach Clean – With A Little Help From Our Friends

For our regular beach cleans we usually focus on the town beach as it is easily accessible from the shop – and is always in plenty of need! However, having noticed excessive and increasing quantities of plastic and waste on Estero beach (the main surfing beach in Santa Catalina), last weekend we decided to organize a bigger operation to go down there and tidy up.

Our friends Michelle from La Buena Vida (a local hotel) and Ollie (owner of Sup Santa Catalina) agreed to help us to transport people and rubbish to and from the beach, enabling us to facilitate the clean. Michelle also spoke to kids from town who were previously keen to get involved with events like this. We arranged a post-clean feast of empanadas and fruits and we were good to go!

We had a good turnout of kids and adults, but the task ahead of us was mammoth! The thing that struck us was the incredible amount of micro-plastics. It would be a near impossible task to clear all these tiny shreds. However, our team did a great job. We filled 10-15 large bags between us – considering that these were mostly filled with small items / pieces this felt like a job well done.

It was beautiful to see the kids engaged in the task and helping for a long time without getting distracted! Afterwards we had a short discussion about why what we had done was important and it was uplifting to see their understanding of the issues of pollution – especially since this is not the case with many older members of the community.

After the beach clean we had a short yoga session led by Michelle before delving into our empanadas and finally having plenty of time to play / swim together on the beach. One of the nicest things about the day was coming together as a community, having the chance to enjoy the company of others from the town and working together to make our home a better place.

A big thank you to everyone that helped us with all aspects of the clean. We hope to keep bringing the community together in the future and hopefully see an ever-growing team of beach clean heroes!

/by
, , ,

Underwater fairytale

Sometimes, really just sometimes, you get one of those days in Coiba that are like dreams coming true. Last week one of our groups had such a day. The weather was beautiful, which is unusual this time of the year, and the boat ride out to the national park was already stunning.

The first dive site we visited was el Bajo Piñon. Full of life there were lots of schools of fish as well as turtles and our current favourites here – manta rays. It was astonishing to see this dive site bursting with life in all its colours. After a surface interval on one of the little beaches, where the sea shells made a sound like little bells getting tossed against each other in the waves, we headed to our second dive site – Faro. There, the surface current was extremely strong so that it was a struggle to get to the descent line. However, our dive instructor Kim reminded us that strong currents often mean lots of life and she couldn’t have been more right. After the group managed to descend and drift dive for a bit we started hearing very high pitched clicking noises and whistles – coming from hunting dolphins. Not long after we saw a school of bigeye jacks, fish dolphins like to hunt. And finally, they appeared. A group of three dolphins – a big one, a middle one and a baby dolphin- showed up and chased the fish making it look like a game. These creatures seem so intelligent, curious and alert. Every move they make is elegant and playful at the same time. It looked like the bigger dolphins were trying to teach the baby one how to hunt with the baby dolphin always being on the fins of the bigger one. They move incredibly fast in the water and soon enough this group disappeared again. Every now and then over the next couple of minutes we heard a high pitched whistle again until it got louder and more continuous and another pair of dolphins appeared, again shortly after we found a school of bigeye jacks. They hung around for a while longer, showing their teeth and fish inside their mouth making it seem like they were grinning at us letting us know how much fun they were having cruising through the water. It was an absolutely remarkable moment to observe those dolphins hunting and for me it was a childhood dream coming true. We rarely have the luck to see dolphins in Coiba, from the boats we see them quite often but mostly we just hear them on a dive without being lucky enough to spot them.

However, after this encounter our luck was still not used up. Shortly after the dolphins swam off we discovered a whale shark although whale sharks are mostly just observed during dry season here. We followed it and got up close only few meters away from the giant creature with its beautiful painting. Then it turned around and swam towards the group so everyone in the group saw it up close. We then said goodbye to the whaleshark as we had to go up for our safety stop. Without any surprise everyone went nuts once on the surface, talking screaming and laughing in excitement and joy. A lot of the divers had not done a lot of dives yet, but it does not take an experienced diver to realize how extraordinary this day had been. After a lunch break we then did a negative entry to our third and last dive of the day and again we had surprise visitors. A rare black tip reef shark and another manta ray came to say hi and swam past the group. Finally, we made our way back to the dive center with still a blue sky and memories for a life time. Even the instructor said it was one of her best days diving with 1000+ dives all over the world. Thank you Coiba for showing us all your beauty!!

– by Saskia

/by
, ,

Our plastic ocean

Rubbish is a big problem here in Santa Catalina. Sadly it is certainly not an exception in Central America, or anywhere else for that matter. Walking down the stunning Santa Catalina coastline you can’t help but notice all the old discarded ‘stuff’ littering the way. Naturally as our home we want to keep the beaches here beautiful, something we can enjoy and be proud of. Here at Panama Dive Centre we are organizing twice monthly beach cleanups to do our part for cleaning up our coastline. However there are much more significant reasons for our beach cleans than simply aesthetic reasons. Littering is a global crisis, but why is it so important to prevent its spread along our coast and beaches?

“An estimated 5-13 million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year from land-based sources” – That’s similar to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute.

Rubbish is having a devastating effect on marine ecosystems across the world. Approximately 100,000 marine creatures are killed per year just from plastic entanglement – and this is only a figure for those that are found. Ingestion is another matter, over 70% of deep sea fish were found to have ingested plastic in a recent study. We know that plastic takes many years to break down – but even when it does it turns into microplastics and toxic chemicals, which continue to effect the health of marine animals.

“There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way”

This also affects us here on land. For animals that feed on fish (humans included!) not only are waning populations and near extinctions a threat for food security, but we are also ingesting the same toxic chemicals and microplastics harbored by the fish that we eat! Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium estimated that top shellfish eaters in Europe are consuming up to 11,000 pieces of micro plastic in their seafood each year.

“Projections indicate that by 2050, the ration of fish to plastics could be 1:1”

What can we do to end the cycle and help cure our oceans? Every small action counts. It has been estimated that Americans go through about 100 billion plastic bags a year (around 360 bags per person) so just bringing your own bags to the supermarket is a great place to start. Arranging or getting involved in beach cleans like we do here at Panama Dive Center is also a great way to help. Small actions add up! The more people that are willing to make that little extra effort can really make the difference.


For more about rubbish in Santa Catalina and our beach cleaning efforts see the blog of one of our recent participants: www.liveandletgo.org !

-By Esme

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur

http://naturalsociety.com/un-urges-action-microplastics-ocean-outnumber-stars-1343/

http://www.beachapedia.org/Plastic_Pollution_Facts_and_Figures

/by
, ,

Jumping Mobulas: one of the deepest divers in our ocean

Diving with PDC always starts with a lovely one-hour boat ride to reach Coiba National Park. Most people hope for dolphins on the surface since they bring an unexpected joy to the boat ride. But the amount of plankton in the water makes it more common to see another beautiful creature jump out of the water: the Mobula ray (also known as devil ray). They can jump up to six feet, twist, turn and either land flat on their belly or go in smooth as they came out of the water. Scientists are not sure why these rays perform incredible surface acrobatics, but research suggests that these high jumps are related to their way of communicating, courtship rituals, escaping from predators and  the removal of parasites.

When diving in Coiba it’s quite common to see these beautiful Mobulas almost fly through the ocean. These great swimmers and jumpers move their fins up and down to steer through the water. Sometimes you see one or a couple performing a little show but if you’re really lucky you can see big schools of 100+ Mobulas passing by while you’re diving or during your safety-stop. Especially while feeding, eating plankton and tiny fish, Mobulas group together. It’s incredible how they can create a dark cloud of movement in the ocean. It’s very rare to see these big schools of Mobulas passing by while diving, so we’re very lucky to have them as regular visitors in Coiba.

Most people think that Mobulas live just below the surface in warm temperatures. But recent findings revealed that these rays can descend with speeds of 22 km/hour (which is way faster than sharks and whales descend) to depths of nearly 2 km! These deep dives take them 60-90 minutes and brings them to waters of only 4 degrees Celsius. To prepare for their deep and icy dives they play in shallower water where it’s warm to heat up their network of blood vessels in the brain to make sure their brain keeps active during their deep and icy dive. This makes them not only one of the best acrobats but also some of the deepest and fastest divers in the ocean.

 

-by Cece

 

Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28087489

http://www2.padi.com/blog/2015/10/31/9-facts-about-devil-rays/

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mobula-ray/#mobula-jump.jpg

 

Photos:

Christopher Swann, Sabina Schreck

 

/by
, ,

My Open Water at PDC

A month ago, I got certified PADI Open Water. It was an amazing experience that I never thought I would live. Indeed, before coming to do my internship in Panama Dive Center, I’ve always admired the people who dive and thus who have the opportunity to swim in the middle of the marine wildlife. But, since I didn’t know any diver before, for me it was something unreal that you see only on TV and that I would never do. I hadn’t even thought about trying it! And one day I saw an advert for an internship at Panama Dive Center and I told myself, after all, why not? So I applied and surprisingly they hired me!

Of course, I had a few worries before starting my course. First of all, my grand parents being from a family of fishermen in the North of France, I have been raised with the idea that the ocean can be dangerous and one should always be careful. Moreover, when I was younger, I have always been afraid to find myself in a space as huge as the ocean. And finally I get seasick pretty easily…

For seasickness, the problem was quickly solved thanks to dramamine pills. And for the rest, I decided not to think about it and once under water, all those fears disapeared! And it was an awesome experience. Of course, I had to start with exercices under water, like taking off my mask and put it back which was not the easiest but the sensation to be able to breath under water and stay on the bottom in the middle of all the marine wildlife was exceptional! And I am now addicted to it and it’s with pleasure that I go diving every week in the beautiful Coiba National Park!

Thank you to my great instuctor Sofie and all the team of Panama Dive Center for making it possible!
As a conclusion, I recommend to everybody to try diving, even those who like me, never really thought about it!

-By Adèle

/by
, ,

An Anti-Cancer Compound from Coiba’s Marine Life

One major argument for the conservation of species is the importance of biodiversity in developing new medications for treating human disease.  Today, more than 50% of marketed drugs are extracted from natural sources or produced using natural products as the starting materials of synthesis.  Here in Coiba National Park, a tiny cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae species, has been discovered to produce a chemical that has proven to be a potentially powerful anti-cancer agent.

Marine plants, microbes, and animals produce a wide variety of compounds for their own use in defense against predators or competitors or for use in chemical communication.  Many of these compounds have pharmaceutical potential, and quite a few are in use today as the basis of vital anti-cancer and anti-viral medications.  With more than 200,000 discovered species of invertebrates and algae alone in the ocean, the marine environment is a source of incredible chemical diversity.

 

Contreras

In our very own Coiba National Park, a species of Panamanian cyanobacteria was collected and discovered to produce a compound that appears to have potent anti-cancer properties. In 2008, Dr . Kerry McPhail of Oregon State University, while scuba diving in Coiba National Park, collected blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, for study.  From this original specimen, scientists have extracted a compound being called coibamide A, and in screenings and research have found that it has a unique ability as an anti-cancer compound, working through a mechanism not yet present in existing cancer medications.
Even more exciting is coibamide A’s success during screenings in targeting and killing the cancer cells of glioblastomas, brain tumors that still have very few treatment options in existence, as they grow rapidly and aren’t very responsive to chemotherapy drugs. It has also been shown to kill off the cells of triple negative breast cancer tumors, another type of cancer that is still very difficult to treat.
Coibamide A is now continuing to be studied as scientists attempt to better understand how it works, how it could be produced synthetically, and whether it could be developed into a new anti-cancer pharmaceutical.
With so many species of marine bacteria and other organisms still undiscovered and undescribed, the biodiversity of our oceans may have the potential to unlock the secrets to treating many of the diseases that we find the most devastating today.
 By Daryll Carlson
 Sources:
/by
, ,

Santa Catalina, Panama – A little ‘know-how’ from paradise

If you’d have asked me five years ago what I think to know about Panama I would have said the same as two months ago – Panamanians speak Spanish (or at least most of them speak something that sounds quite similar to commonly known Spanish), it’s probably really warm and I’d really like to visit it someday. Two months ago it seemed as likely for me to travel to Antarctica as to live in Santa Catalina – but here I am, establishing my life in this idyllic and authentic little fisher village in the southwest of Panama.

I’m a German expat (the latter by heart) and fluent in English, but until my plans to be a part of Panama Dive Center in Santa Catalina took shape my Spanish skills were limited to ‘vamos a la playa’, tequila and the main chorus of ‘La Cucaracha’. With the endless help of my lovely coworkers and my close friend Rosetta Stone (editor’s note: language teaching software, currently tested for Spanish, French and German in Panama Dive Center) I do plan on being able to at least have basic conversations in Spanish when I have to leave Panama in November. Until today my most said sentences definitely remain ‘Disculpe, hablo solo un poquito español’, ‘¿Cómo se dice … en español?’ and ‘una Balboa, por favor’. But to encourage all those who might be in the same situation: Don’t let missing language skills hold you back from an adventure in Central America! Everyday it feels like I’m learning twice the amount of vocabularies I already mastered, but constant progress is the most desirable kind of reward when it comes to learning a new language.

 

Thinking of Latin America I can’t help myself to associate every nation with a few of their traditional dishes. Whether it’s the North with Mexico’s spicy Tacos and Enchiladas, Gallo Pinot in Nicaragua or the world-famous Argentine Asado (grill). But what’s the most common food in Panama? I was sure to at least never have heard of a typical panamanian dish before. It didn’t take me long to fill this lack of information: Along the Pacific and Caribbean Coasts the usual diet consists of fresh seafood, tropical fruits and lots of root vegetables. Panamanians also have one other main common feature with the United States of America next to the shared currency: They love to deep-fry everything that might be fitting for nutritional desires. But who am I to complain, that habit provided us with Patacones, which are deep-fried discs of green plantains – a recipe that already made it in my repertory composed of only two other dishes from around the world.

One of the best and to me most surprising parts regarding the food are the various options for meat-lovers, vegetarians or even vegans – although I consider myself part of the veggie-faction most of the time I think it’s fairly easy to sustain any kind of dietary around here. Even I have days which I start off with a fresh coconut from the beach (in case you’re having difficulties figuring out how to open them yourself: our Divemaster Trainee Rodrigo can be of great help to establish those kind of life saving skills), stuff myself with an absolute unreasonable amount of melon slices, help myself with some banana and pineapple pieces from the local food truck over the afternoon and enjoy some cooled mangosteens with an even colder fruit juice in the evening – as for me I can say eating healthy rarely was this easy!

What I appreciate most about the restaurants in Santa Catalina most definitely is the variety. You’ll have to choose from an awesome pizzeria (Jammin Hostal y Pizzeria), an argentine restaurant (Los Pibes) and a great diversity of other restaurants that even offer such exotic dishes as sushi.

 

Closely connected to the food section is the average price range which is not as low as one may think. While an average dinner for one including drinks can be done with about 13$, it’s the secluded location of Santa Catalina which makes it possible for a package of toothpaste to cost about 3$. Cosmetics in general are more expensive than in other countries or even Panama City. Regarding food it displays mostly in western luxuries such as cheese (about 5$ for a fist-sized piece) and milk (approximately 2$ for one liter). Cheapest accommodation ranges from around 15$ for a bed in a dormitory (Hostel Villa Vento Surf) to 20$ for a Private Room (Cabañas Las Palmeras) but can go up to 80$ per night/pP (Hotel Santa Catalina). As a tourist I predict I would spend about 30$ a day for food and accommodation, excluded special day trips such as diving, snorkelling or whale and dolphin watching. A surfboard can be rented for around 10$ per day. The most famous domestic beer is the ‘Balboa’ (which also is the name of the local currency, bound to the US$ with an exchange rate of 1:1) and usually available for 1-2$ per bottle.

 

So how is it to live in a touristic little fishing village, where you share your everyday life with locals and passing-through tourists? I’d best describe it as my personal paradise, although there are potentially troubling facts I haven’t considered up front: Let it be the humidity which will keep you and all of your clothes, towels and bedsheets moist and damp all day long (assumed it doesn’t rain anyway. Have I mentioned that rain season lasts from around April until November with various amounts of rain per day?), the mosquitos and ants, which make it impossible to leave your lunch unattended for even a second or just the complete and utter loss for any kind of date and day-related issues (thanks to my shifts in Panama Dive Center I’m at least able to keep a rough track of time). But all those small little mischiefs stand in no relation to the love and gratitude I have towards this special place! Let it be the long evenings with good friends and a nice bottle of wine, the sunsets on the beach, the first time trying to ride a wave on the beaches that brought up internationally-known surf legends, the infinite richness of the local flora and fauna or the breathtaking ‘other world’ that hides away right under the surface in Coiba National Park. With its about 400 residents Santa Catalina really is a village and if you plan on staying for longer it won’t take you long to get a grip of the vibe. Everyday someone else takes over the task of filling your day with passionate, spanish music from around midday to long after the sun set, you’ll see more and more familiar faces throughout your daily routine, most of more than happy to integrate you into the community and you’ll start to realise which are the best and cheapest fruit trucks.

 

Like mentioned before – Santa Catalina is a potential paradise. Whether it will be for you depends on your personal principles and values but the foundation the setting itself offers is a fairly fascinating one and there is no other way of knowing as to try involve and engage in the laid-back and relaxed lifestyle in an environment where others are usually restricted to a few days of their yearly paid-leave.

-By Nina Berti

/by
, ,

Pufferfish

If you´ve had the chance to dive in the Coiba National Park in Panama, you surely had the opportunity to admire the variety of pufferfish present on the site. Indeed, these intriguing little fishes traverse the reserve in great numbers and surprise us with their variety in colors. However, we know very little about this species, its peculiarities and its habits. This article will try to answer some of the questions and attempt to give a little more insight about these fascinating creatures.

What is their real name?

Beyond balloon fish, globe fish, puffer fish, their real name is Tetraodontidae (smooth puffers) or Diodontidae (spiny puffers), much less simple to pronounce.

What do they look like?

There are 121 species of puffer fish, so it is possible to meet individuals of many types. What they have in common is the shape of their bodies, elongated and globular. All puffers have five fins, two pectoral, one dorsal, one abdominal and one anal. Their skin is hard, smooth and without scales. Some of them have bright colors that indicate their danger and toxicity, while others have more discreet colors that allow them to blend into their surroundings. In addition, many of them have the ability to change color to adapt to changes in the environment. These changes can be discrete, variations in hues, contrasts, or very surprising, total color changes from yellow to black with white spots. In terms of size, there is also a great variety: it is possible to meet species of balloon fish of only 2.5 cm in length while others can reach up to 100 cm in length.

What are they feeding on?

The diet of puffer fish is mainly composed of invertebrates and algae. They have four teeth, two centered on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw. This dentition has the appearance of a beak and allows the largest specimens to break the crustaceans which are also part of their diet.

Why do some of them puff?

Puffer fish are very slow and it is very difficult for them to escape from their predators. Thus, inflating allows them to scare their assailants. They can indeed reach up to three times their original size. To achieve such a transformation the globe fish uses the impressive elasticity of its stomach and quickly ingests a large amount of water or even air if necessary. It then looks like a kind of ball, often covered in thorns, which dissuades most predators from coming closer.

What are their other defenses?

Despite their slowness, puffer fish have very good eyesight and they are able to orient their eyes independently. They are also able to maneuver easily in all directions in the water. These two assets allow them to spot any threats in time to hide or swell up to a balloon.

In addition to inflating some puffers are covered in spikes which stick put upon inflation and make them inedible. In addition, almost all puffer fish produce tetrodotoxin, a very toxic substance present in their internal organs and skin. It would appear that they create this toxin by synthesizing the bacteria present in their food. Thus, if a predator catches them before it swells, it may regret it. Indeed, this substance is1200 times more dangerous than cyanide and lethal for almost all the predators. The dose of this toxin present in a single balloon fish can kill up to 30 adult humans, and there is no known cure. So under their inoffensive face, they  hide a real murderer potential, which even classify them as the second most toxic animal in the world after the poisonous golden frog.

How do they reproduce?

In most cases in salt water, the male brings the female to the surface where it releases between three and seven eggs, which it subsequently fertilizes. The eggs remain on the surface and hatch after about four to seven days. However, a species of globe fish stands out because of their incredible courtship: the Japanese Pufferfish. These create nests which are real architectural masterpieces to attract the females (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV1C_HvP8P0)

In fresh water, the task is more complicated for males, which have to differentiate themselves from others to be chosen by the female. He draws her into a protected place in order to release her eggs, which he will fertilize. In captivity, it has been observed that the male protects the eggs until hatching.

A nice meal?

Their toxicity makes puffer fish very complicated to eat. Indeed, only a very precautionary preparation makes consumption possible. Despite this danger, ´takifugu´ puffer has become an exceptional dish in Japan. Although it is only be prepared by graduated chefs, every year some people are hospitalized and die intoxicated by fugu. Its consumption is even forbidden to the emperor. This danger does not frighten the Japanese for whom it is a luxurious delicacy. A dish made of fugu can costs between $20 and $50, the whole fish is sold between $100 and $200. In other parts of Japan some puffer fish farms have made them non-toxic by monitoring their diet, making them more simple to consume.

A population in danger?

Although in Coiba National Park you can come across at least 7 different types of puffer fish. This is not the case everywhere in the world. Indeed, some species are beginning to be threatened by pollution, overfishing and the destruction of reefs. This is particularly the case with the Japanese puffer, whose population has declined by 99% in the last 40 years, as well as the Canthigaster cyanetron, the red lined puffer fish and the dwarf puffer recently classified as vulnerable species in danger of extinction.

-by Anaïs Yvinou

 

Sources:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/group/puffer fish/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraodontidae

http://vieoceane.free.fr/poissons/familles/Tetraodontidae/fiche1.html

http://ipfactly.com/puffer fish/

https://www.aquaportail.com/taxonomie-famille-177-tetraodontidae.html

https://a-z-animals.com › A-Z Animals › Animals › Puffer Fish

https://diverswhowanttolearnmore.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/tetraodontidae-puffer fish-vs-porcupinefish/

eol.org/pages/5056/overview

/by
, ,

Coiba National Park: A UNESCO Site in Danger?

@inspiredbymaps view of the ranger´s station from the top

World heritage sites are places whose characteristics set them apart from a merely beautiful scenic site.  They are unique and have an intrinsic “Outstanding Universal Value” (OUV) that reflects the wealth and diversity of the Earth’s cultural and natural heritage. Because of their outstanding value, World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. Their protection benefits every single one of us and therefore, it is the duty of the international community as a whole to cooperate in their preservation.

Coiba National park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection (SZMP) were included in the list of Unesco World heritage sites in 2005. It is an area of breath-taking beauty that stirs the heart of its visitors. But apart from its beauty, what makes Coiba special? What is its OUV?

To be included in the World Heritage list, a site has to meet at least 1 out of 10 selection criteria. Coiba meets Unesco criteria (ix) and (x) for inclusion in the World heritage list of natural sites. You can find these criteria and why Coiba meets them here.

In simple words, Coiba holds communities of plants and animals which are essential for the well-being of our entire planet. Coiba is extremely reach in biodiversity, with many of its plant and animal species not found anywhere else in the world. These species in many instances play key roles in processes responsible for the health of our oceans. If we don’t have healthy oceans we are in SERIOUS TROUBLE. This is why Coiba is a World Heritage site and why it must be protected.

The State Parties are countries that adhere to the World Heritage Convention, nominate sites within their national territory to be considered for inscription in the list and have the responsibility to protect the World Heritage values of the sites inscribed. The benefits of joining the list are multiple. It often serves as a catalyst to raising awareness for heritage preservation. It provides access to the World Heritage fund. Sites also benefit from the elaboration and implementation of a comprehensive management plan and experts offer technical training to the local site management team.

The World Heritage Committee consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention elected for terms up to six years. It meets once a year and is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It allocates financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund and has the final say on whether a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List. It also examines reports on the state of conservation of inscribed sites and decides on the inscription or removal of sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee can inscribe on the List of World Heritage in Danger properties that face threats to their World Heritage values and once a site has been Inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the World Heritage Committee can allocate immediate assistance from the World Heritage Fund to the endangered property. The Committee then develops and adopts, in consultation with the State Party concerned, a program for corrective measures, and subsequently monitors the situation of the site. It also alerts the international community so that it can join efforts to save these endangered sites.

All this is important because the World Heritage Committee has warned the State Party of Panama that, should management of Coiba and the SZMP continue in the same direction, the Committee will consider including the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger. In other words, the Committee thinks that the outstanding universal value of Coiba and its SZMP may be in danger.

An IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property (Coiba and the SZMP) from 28 November to 3 December 2016, in order to present conservation issues to the World Heritage Committee. On 30 January 2017, the State Party of Panama submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property. Both reports are available here. You can find a summary of the conclusions and decisions adopted by the Committee in its last decision (Draft decision: 41 COM 7B.17)  here. Briefly, the Committee indicated that:

  • the management of Coiba’s marine component continues to face significant challenges, with declines having been reported for some key marine values, and with little progress reported in the implementation of the Committee’s requests related to the management and control of fisheries.
  • the draft regulations proposed by the State Party include provisions for types of activities that would be incompatible with the World Heritage status of the property, particularly industrial fishing.

Basically, the take-home message is that certain fishing activities are allowed within the park which are absolutely incompatible with the World Heritage status of Coiba and which are having a serious negative impact on Coiba’s outstanding universal value. What is most disturbing and frustrating is that the World Heritage Committee has been repeatedly expressing concerns to the State Party in the past years over the absence of effective fisheries regulations within the property, with apparently little effect. The Committee has repeatedly requested the State Party to take immediate measures to ensure that fishing is strictly controlled and that fisheries permitted within the property are sustainable,  guaranteeing that activities such as industrial fishing are not permitted within the property. The World Heritage Committee has indicated that if by its 42nd session in 2018 there has not been substantial progress in protecting the property from unsustainable fisheries, Coiba and its SZMP may be included on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Although the listing of Coiba as World Heritage in Danger may be perceived as a dishonor, it may actually be a good turning point, focusing international attention on its problems and obtaining expert assistance in solving them. However, we believe the listing of Coiba in the World Heritage in Danger would not be necessary if the State Party complied with requests from the World Heritage Committee. Hopefully, the State Party will take note of the requests and we will soon see major positive changes in the management of Coiba’s marine component. Coiba is a special place, part of our natural heritage and it should be treated as such. Let’s not forget it.

– by Rodrigo Villarino

/by