Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge
· The Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge includes the coastal area and ocean in front of Isla Iguana, permitting only artisanal fishing but prohibiting trawling and large shrimp boats. This Refuge contains diverse ecosystems like beaches, mangroves, dunes and marshes. It is more than 15 ha in size and borders in the North with Purio River, in the East with Isla Iguana, in the South with Punta Mala, and in the West with Purio, Mariabé and Pedasí townships.
We are currently working members of the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge Shared Management Committee, a consortium including civil society agents, academia, governmental institutions, environmental NGO’s, the chamber of tourism and local fishermen. We are part of the negotiations to enact an official management program for the reserve.
The Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge and documented sea turtle nestings during Tortugas Pedasi’s first season monitoring. Image courtesy of Azuero Earth Project.
The Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge; PC: Matt Stirn, PwB, Azuero Earth Project