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Abstract LAS PERLAS, PANAMA MARINE PROTECTED AREA Hector M. Guzman The newly established marine protected area of Las Perlas Archipelago
(Law N° 18, May 2007) is located in the Pacific side of Panama
and encompasses over 200 islands and islets in an area of 168,771
hectares of which 80% are marine environments. The process for the
creation of the MPA took over three years including social and ecological
studies and lobbying of local and central governments. The effort
was fully based on a Darwin Initiative Project designed to build
up research and habitat information about the marine and coastal
environments. We built the scientific support based on the use of
remote sensing techniques for mapping the distribution of terrestrial
and marine habitats, and the assessment of abundance and species
diversity in sessile and soft-bottom benthic communities and mangroves.
In addition, we evaluated the nesting areas for four turtle species,
the visiting population of humpback whales, and the status of the
population of critically exploited species such as lobsters, conch,
snappers, etc.. The research agenda was concomitantly modified based
on results from a socio-ecological study implemented in all eight
fishing rural communities and according to the level of political
local support and the general perception of the over 2000 inhabitants.
Studies revealed the distribution of key hot spots of coral diversity
and healthy reefs as well as the areas with the most abundance of
commercially exploited species within the archipelago. The information
was presented to fishermen and local and central authorities and
served to draft the first set of regulations to be implemented as
a priority measurement with the Law and before even the drafting
of a management plan. Law N° 18 prohibits the use of gill, trawling
and sieve nets, long-lines, hook for fishing lobsters and bans fishing
lobsters for a seasonal period of four months, among other things.
The protected area was created with the consent of 92% of the population.
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