Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection

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Coiba National Park and Its Special Zone of Marine Protection: A Biodiversity Haven in the Gulf of Chiriqui

Located off the southwestern coast of Panama, Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection constitute a significant conservation area that safeguards the rich biodiversity of the Gulf of Chiriqui. Established in 2005 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, this protected region encompasses Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands, and the surrounding marine areas.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Coiba National Park, off the southwest coast of Panama, protects Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands and the surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Protected from the cold winds and effects of El Niño, Coiba’s Pacific tropical moist forest maintains exceptionally high levels of endemism of mammals, birds and plants due to the ongoing evolution of new species. It is also the last refuge for a number of threatened animals such as the crested eagle. The property is an outstanding natural laboratory for scientific research and provides a key ecological link to the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of pelagic fish and marine mammals.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ix): Despite the short time of isolation of the islands of the Gulf of Chiriquí on an evolutionary timeframe, new species are being formed, which is evident from the levels of endemism reported for many groups (mammals, birds, plants), making the property an outstanding natural laboratory for scientific research. Furthermore the Eastern Pacific reefs, such as those within the property, are characterized by complex biological interactions of their inhabitants and provide a key ecological link in the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of numerous pelagic fish as well as marine mammals.

Criterion (x): The forests of Coiba Island possess a high variety of endemic birds, mammals and plants. Coiba Island also serves as the last refuge for a number of threatened species that have largely disappeared from the rest of Panama, such as the Crested Eagle and the Scarlet Macaw. Furthermore the marine ecosystems within the property are repositories of extraordinary biodiversity conditioned to the ability of the Gulf of Chiriquí to buffer against temperature extremes associated to El Niño/Southern Oscilation phenomenon. The property includes 760 species of marine fishes, 33 species of sharks and 20 species of cetaceans. The islands within the property are the only group of inshore islands in the tropical eastern Pacific that have significant populations of trans-Pacific fishes, namely, Indo-Pacific species that have established themselves in the eastern Pacific.

Encyclopedia Record: Coiba

Coiba is the largest island in Central America, with an area of 494 km2 (191 sq mi), off the Pacific coast of the Panamanian province of Veraguas. It is part of the Montijo District of that province.

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