The Guna Yala comarca, a self-governed traditional Indigenous territory on Panama’s Caribbean coast formerly known as the San Blas Islands, is ecologically significant, hosting over 80% of the coral reefs in Panama’s Caribbean waters. These reefs sustain a diverse array of marine life, including coral species, fish, and benthic fauna. Importantly, the Guna have traditionally relied heavily on these coral reefs and their associated fauna for subsistence and derived income from tourism.
We co-launched a new coral reef conservation and research initiative in Guna Yala, Panama, with the support of SENACYT Panama and the active engagement of the Guna Congress’s scientific arm, IIDKY (Instituto de Investigaciones y Desarrollo de Kuna Yala), along with MiAmbiente Panama, that marks the most comprehensive coral reef and fish assessment conducted in the region in over 22 years. This project, led by our Community Coordinator and Guna scientist Arcadio Castillo, along with a team of five young Guna researchers, addresses the urgent need for updated data on reef health and associated fish populations in the region. Despite the growing concerns over coral reef species affected by human development and climate change, there has been a significant gap in such contemporary assessments across the comarca, which has important implications for the management and viability of these crucial ecosystems.
The project involves an extensive survey of coral reefs across 23 sites in the central and most coral-dense region, utilizing standardized monitoring methodologies to ensure consistency, replication, and comparison with previous efforts and other sites in the region. The data collected will be crucial for local communities, conservationists, and policymakers to provide essential insights into the current state of the coral reefs and support the development of effective conservation and management strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of these ecosystems.
Another key aspect of this initiative is that this assessment is being led by the Guna. This is central to our ethos and commitment to knitting local and scientific knowledge, and to building the skills, abilities, and scientific knowledge, especially of Guna women to support their inclusion in marine STEM fields. Our research team is powered by five young Guna women who have undergone rigorous training in SCUBA diving and coral reef and fish survey techniques over six months. This leadership and the women’s participation is not only a first for Guna Yala, which is building local scientific expertise but also by advancing gender equity in environmental science and currying pride in autochthonous knowledge, all creating new opportunities for Indigenous women in these vital fields.
Preliminary results have already identified areas of high coral health and low bleaching occurrence suggesting resiliency to the current high water temperatures. Coupled with the reveal of sites yielding higher diversity and abundance of fish that may all be candidate areas for the next step which is the locally desired creation of marine protected areas. As the project progresses, the insights gained will inform the development of targeted conservation strategies, benefiting both the reefs of Guna Yala and similar ecosystems worldwide.