Coiba National Park, A Biodiversity Gem
By Juan Carlos Martinez
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Panama has made great strides in the protection of its land in the 17 National Parks that are full with amazing biodiversity. Panama has approximately 10 thousand 444 species of vascular and non-vascular plants, some 261 species of mammals, 929 species of birds, 228 reptile species, 170 amphibian species, 190 fresh water species and more than 800 salt water species of fish and 4 thousand invertebrates.
In the midst of this mind boggling biodiversity sits Coiba. One of the gems in Panama´s treasure chest is this prized protected area. It is one of the largest natural marine parks in the world and was designated World Patrimony for Humanity in June 17, 2005. Coiba is one of several places in Panama to be declared by the UNESCO World Patrimony for Humanity, along with the colonial fortifications in Portobelo-San Lorenzo, Darien National Park, Amistad International Park, archeological site Panama Viejo and the historic district of San Felipe.
Coiba is in the Pacific, on the Gulf of Chiriqui, approximately 22 kilometers off the coast of the province of Veraguas. It has a land mass of 270 thousand hectares, 53 thousand 528 of which are insular territory and 216 thousand 543 are marine areas. This has made it one of the parks with the greatest protected marine surface in the world. It includes the islands of Rancheria, Jicaron, Jicarita, Contreras, Brincanco, Afuerita, Canal de Afuera, Uva and Pajaro. It is part of the Pacific Biological Marine Corridor which extends from the Galapagos Island in Ecuador up to Malpelo and Gorgona in Colombia including Coiba National Park.
Coiba is famous for its whale and dolphin sightings and many of the marine species which Coiba National Park protects cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The island itself has tropical forests which house 1,450 species of vascular plants.
Today Coiba is the site of various scientific investigations which have revealed 12 new coral species. These investigations have also revealed that Coiba is experiencing notable recovery in several species within this protected area. For example coral communities show that up to 90% of the coral in these communities is living coral. The fish and snail population is also recovering not only in their amount but in variety of species. There has been discovery of three new species of snails. Additionally, in a previous study 100 species of fish were identified, whereas in the recent study 130 were identified, which is significant growth.
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