Title: Caribbean coral reefs of Panama: present status and future perspectives
Abstract: One of the goals of this work is to review the conservation status of the Panamanian Caribbean coral reefs and to demonstrate that there is sufficient and adequate information to support new legislation for their protection. Panama has 1,295 km of coastline in the Caribbean with coral reefs along almost all its coast, from Punta Cabo Tiburón on the border with Colombia to Punta Boca del Drago, 27 km from the border with Costa Rica. The total coral reef surface area is estimated at 754 km2, mostly fringing reefs. Of these reefs, 81% are located in the eastern region and form part of the indigenous reservation of Kuna-Yala. In this region, there is also the highest diversity of corals, octocorals and sponges, with 97%, 100% and 93%, respectively, of the total number for the country. Live coral cover has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, with a reduction as high as 50–70% in several areas along the coast. At present the highest average cover ranges between 25% and 30%, to be found in the eastern and western regions. The reefs have been affected by natural disturbances such as seawater warming, associated with El Niño events, and by diseases. However, from a historical point of view, anthropogenic disturbances have gone beyond our general comprehension. They started with massive coral mining more than 500 years ago, at the time of the Spanish conquest, and have continued up to the present day, during the construction of the Panama Canal and with the traditional coral mining and landfilling practices used by the Kuna people. Five marine-terrestrial protected areas along the Caribbean coast do not include the best reefs of Panama or protection is inadequately enforced. Reefs are at high risk due to coastal development particularly that associated with tourism; 48.5% of the country's tourist attractions are located along the coastal zone. This creates a pressing and unavoidable need to protect coral reefs as part of an integrated national coastal management and conservation plan.
Publication Year: 2003
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 53
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