Panama designates Las Perlas Archipelago special management zone
—Darwin Project achieves its initial aim
June 11, 2007
Panama's Gaceta Oficial published Law No. 18 of May 31, 2007
Panama's Gaceta Oficial published Law No. 18 of May 31, 2007, designating the Las Perlas Archipelago a special coastal-marine management zone. The special zone is located in the district of Balboa and will be incorporated into the Programa de Manejo Costero Integral [Integral coastal management program] to protect its marine and coastal resources, increase its productivity and maintain the biodiversity of its ecosystems, and to improve the quality of life in the communities that depend upon these resources.
Several studies were conducted in Las Perlas under the leadership of STRI's Héctor Guzmán and James Mair from Heriot-Watt University, both working on a grant funded for five year by the Darwin Initiative, to provide support to the legal process that culminated with the designation of special management zoning throughout this important Panamanian marine ecosystem, an essential part of the Marine Biological Corridor of the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
The law was possible thanks to the unconditional support from the Archipelago's community, the Major's Office, the Municipal Council of the District of Balboa; the British Government, Panama’s National Assembly’s Commission for Population, Environment and Development; officials from Autoridad de Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá [Panama’s Authority for Aquatic Resources, or ARAP]; the civil society and all the organizations that helped in the various phases of the project.
The polygon that defines the special management zone is located in the Gulf of Panama. It includes 168,771 hectares (ha) divided into 33,153 ha of insular area including all islands and islets of the Archipelago, and 135,618 ha of surrounding waters, part of the Continental Shelf. The new law, including the coordinates of the special management zone, can downloaded from: Gaceta Oficial
Print article
More articles
Comments
