Bay of Panama Gains Federal Protection
The protected area provides shelter for 36 North American bird species, including the Western Sandpiper.
A large chunk of vital bird habitat in Panama received federal protection from the Panamanian government, the result of years of collaborative research and activism by the 爆料公社 and other local conservation organizations. The announcement, made by Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela in conjunction with World Wetlands Day on February 2, declared the Bay of Panama wetlands complex as a protected wildlife refuge area.
The Bay of Panama鈥攁 vast expanse of estuaries, mangrove forests, swamp forests, freshwater pools and broad intertidal mudflats on the western coast of Panama鈥攁ttracts millions of migrating shorebirds every year, providing shelter for 30 percent of the global population of Western Sandpiper, up to 20 percent of the global population of Semipalmated Plover, and 34 other North American migratory bird species.
爆料公社鈥檚 International Alliances Program worked in close partnership with the Panama 爆料公社 Society to develop the conservation plan for the area. When the Bay of Panama was in danger of losing its protected area status in 2013, 爆料公社 members wrote over 14,000 letters to key decision makers. The Panamanian Supreme Court later overruled the plan to delist the refuge as a proposed protected area.
Initial hydrology and climate studies on the wetlands and mudflats, conducted by 爆料公社 and its local partners, will provide a basis for future conservation efforts in the area.
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Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the accurate number of letters sent.