PROJECT Sustainable Use of Marine Resources in Kuna Yala, Panama Making Marine Resource Use in Kuna Yala SustainableSustainable marine resource use in Kuna Yala, Panama
Field trip to Kuna Yala
Wednesday, June 15: Workshop with the students of the “Environmental Brigade” at the Nele Kantule school. We talked about the main marine ecosystems in Kuna Yala: mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs, and the importance of each of them for the communities and ecosystem health. We watched a video of Dr. Jeremy Jackson, a US marine scientist (who has undertaken much research in Panama, through the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute). The video was about the changes in the marine environment throughout the past 40 years, and discussed in particular the phenomenon known as “shifting baselines”.
The original baseline of an ecosystem is its original, pristine or unaltered state. The changes in baselines are chronic, slow and and difficult to observe. Baselines are important for measuring ecosystem health and change by providing us with information about the state of the ecosystem in the past. If we know the baseline for a degraded ecosystem we can take measures to restore it. However, if the baseline changed before we had the opportunity to trace it, we run the risk of accepting the degraded state as normal or even as an improvement. In the case of Kuna Yala, today’s youth see degraded coral reefs, as if they were natural and are unaware that only one or two generations ago the same reefs were healthy, well developed and teaming with life.
Making Marine Resource Use in Kuna Yala Sustainable
- The Kuna people live on small islands in the comarca of Kuna Yala.
This project aims to remedy some local causes of serious deterioration of marine ecosystems in the indigenous territory of Kuna Yala, namely over-fishing and coral extraction. Since the livelihood and economy of the inhabitants of Kuna Yala almost entirely depend on healthy ecosystems, it is of foremost importance to create awareness and knowledge among the local population about the present environmental problems, their causes and possible remedies, as well as to take measures to restore and conserve healthy ecosystems and the resources which they provide for the local inhabitants.
Kuna Yala is a semi-autonomous indigenous territory in the North of Panama, encompassing 200 km of Caribbean coastline. Shallow marine areas (<20m), including coral reefs and some 360 islands make up 2,500 km2. Marine ecosystems of Kuna Yala are considered to be among the most pristine in the Caribbean, harboring a number of particularly complex and biologically diverse coral reefs (Guzman et al. 2003).
- The economy of Kuna Yala is based on agriculture and fishing.
However, Kuna Yala has not been exempt from major habitat degradation: a complex interplay of natural and anthropogenic factors (e.g. coral extraction for land fills, pollution, over-fishing, coral and sea urchin diseases, rising water temperature) has caused reefs in this region to change extensively. Most notably, there has been a substantial reduction in live coral cover, from approx 70% in the 1970s to a current 20%, and a conversion from coral to algae-dominated ecosystems (Shulman & Robertson, 1996).
Livelihood depends directly on healthy ecosystems
Reduced coral cover is causing increased exposure to waves, leading to the erosion of coral cays. Reduced coral cover also leads to a loss of habitat for a large variety of commercial and other species, many of which are now also threatened by over-exploitation. Through their culture of subsistence agriculture, hunting and fishing, the Kuna people’s livelihood depends directly and almost entirely on healthy ecosystems. It has been estimated that 80% of protein in the diet of the Kuna stems from fish and other seafood (Ventocilla et al. 1995).
- Brain coral in Kuna Yala coastal waters.
- The Kuna are famous for their molas, a colorful textile art form. Mola means "clothing" in the Kuna language.
If current trends of ecosystem deterioration (particularly decrease in coral cover) continue unchecked, it is likely to lead to disastrous consequences for Kuna communities, as they lack resources to afford costly ecosystem repair (e.g. artificial reefs, wave barriers). Kuna Yala’s marine ecosystems are still healthy enough to recover naturally, if managed wisely and promptly.
There is strong scientific evidence that protection from over-fishing is currently the best method to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems (Gardner et al. 2003; Hughes et al. 2003; Pandolfi et al. 2003). In view of the multitude of modern regional and global effects (coral diseases, climatic warming, pollution, eutrophication), which may not be controlled locally, protecting and restoring intact food chains, particularly grazers (to prevent algal over-growth and ensure coral recruitment) may be the single most important insurance policy against severe degradation.
Project Partners
The work is carried out by a partnership of three non-profit organisations: BALU UALA, an association of Kuna professionals; IDIKY, the Institute for Integrated Development of Kuna Yala; and CREA, a Panamanian Institute for Research, Education and Conservation. We currently work in three communities: Ukupseni, Dad Nakue Dupbir and Ogobsucum. These case studies of sustainable development and resource management could eventually serve as models for the whole of Kun Yala.
This project, as part of a comprehensive plan for the sustainable management of marine resources in Kuna Yala, was approved by all 49 communities of Kuna Yala, at the Kuna General Congress, in Muladup, November 2003.
Specific activities:
- Workshops with diverse groups (fishermen, community leaders, teachers, students, women) to discuss and define the problems associated with marine resource use, as well as the communities’ needs and expectations from this project
- Seminars on basic marine ecology and specific marine environmental problems in Kuna Yala and the local communities. Lessons from other countries with similar problems: what actions are being taken elsewhere and what are the experiences.
- Environmental education at the local school: basics of marine ecology and human impacts.
- Field trips to mangroves, sea grass pastures and coral reefs for students and teachers.
- Production of educational material: video, leaflets, posters
- Collecting and identifying local marine fauna and flora, to produce a reference collection for schools.
- Basic fisheries monitoring program: e.g. species, number, biomass, sex, effort and location of catch, for local consumption or export.
- Basic environmental and socio-economic survey of the community: describe surrounding habitats and their conservation status, contamination and identify stakeholders of marine resource use.
- Develop a plan of action for a comprehensive program towards the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of marine resources in Kuna Yala: priorities, desired outcomes, methods, time table etc.
Gardner et al.; Long-Term Region-Wide Declines in Caribbean Corals. Science 301, 958 (2003)
Hughes et al. Climate Change, Human Impacts, and the Resilience of Coral Reefs. Science 301, 929 (2003)
Guzmán H.M.; Guevara C.; Castillo A.Conservation Biology, October 2003, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 1396-1401(6) Blackwell Publishing
Pandolfi et al.; Global Trajectories of the Long-Term Decline of Coral Reef Ecosystems. Science 301, 955 (2003)
Shulman, M.J. and D.R. Robertson. (1996) Changes in the coral reef of San Blas, Caribbean Panama: 1983 to 1990. Coral Reefs, 15: 231-236.
Ventocilla, J., "Kuna Indians and the Conservation of the Environment", Mesoamérica, Vol.16, no. 29, CIRMA, Guatemala, 1995