Panama has emerged as one of the key traders of shark products and a key connector of critical shark habitats throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Although generally little known, Coiba Island in the Gulf of Chriqui is considered one of the best diving sites in the Western Hemisphere, and an increasingly popular tourist destination. Coiba Island and its surrounding waters are also a UNESCO World Heritage site and National Park.
Coiba and its surrounding waters are thought to be an important site for both whitetip sharks and highly migratory threatened shark species including scalloped hammerheads and whale sharks. Although dive operators have noted decreased numbers of sharks, especially hammerheads, in the past two decades, baseline data for the park is lacking and prevents a full understanding of the abundance, distribution and diversity of shark communities and associated fisheries.
Artisanal fisheries, including the use of longlines to catch sharks, are legally permitted in many areas close to the National Park, and there are pending plans for large-scale developments on the island that would significantly increase impacts to the site’s fish populations. The need for action is urgent as Coiba is currently teetering on the edge of a red listing as a World Heritage Site in danger if the threat of unsustainable fisheries is not abated.
The project aimed to engage visitors, fishers, local guides and divers in monitoring and citizen science through recording of sightings and shark and ray photos identification. This, coupled with conservation education, will lay a foundation for local conservation action and highlight sharks and rays as non-consumptive species of value to local communities and the national economy.
The ultimate goal of this project is to expand beyond Coiba to promote the understanding, management, and conservation action for sharks and rays throughout Panama while supporting the development of conscientious and locally based shark tourism.
A successful wrap to the project would encompass the completion of all activities programmed, an engaged constituency, a body of knowledge that responds to informational needs to guide management and conservation and possible solutions identified with fishers for reducing fishing effort on threatened species of sharks.
The project will have created a permanent sampling method and sites and lay the foundation for the longer-term change in attitudes and behavior that are required for locally led conservation of sharks and rays. Lastly, all generated information will provide requested inputs for policy- and decision-making for sharks at the local and national levels, enabling Panama to better meet its World Heritage and international convention obligations.
We were partially successful in completing the project with the fisheries independent survey completed. The pandemic required a pivot away from citizen science and towards community-based landings as tourism was difficult to undertake due to government restrictions.
We are keen to undertake the citizen science project in 2025, now that travel is unfettered and we have both established and nurtured relationships with the communities around Coiba National Park and 14 of the site's tourism providers.
The forced pandemic pivot towards Community Fisheries Research that collected fine scale data on fisheries (with a focus on sharks – especially threatened species) has proven very successful and has paved the road for the next project phase. Communities will be hard pressed to be self-reliant in monitoring as the cost and priority of this work falls below basic needs.
To improve their chances for more employment and integration of science in their decision-making, we are now seeking to build the skills of the Community Researchers in field monitoring of key species such as sharks, continue work with the communities to improve the sustainability of their fisheries (reduce use of nets is a first step as we have successfully done in Belize), assess community resilience to pandemic and climate change impacts and help them build a road map for greater sustainability that further highlights nurturing of community-based tourism.
1. Long-term standardized and participatory monitoring in Coiba National Park focused on sharks and rays is established and adopted by managers as standard using fisheries-independent methods.
2. Visitors and local guides and divers engaged in a collaborative and comprehensive citizen science project to provide long-term data on sharks and rays in Coiba that complements and expands the punctual long-term monitoring efforts.
3. Tourism sector and two key coastal fishing communities engaged in education and outreach, demonstrating a change in negative perceptions towards sharks and consumer behavior over the long term.
We encountered multiple challenges during implementation although some of these became opportunities that led to greater success of the project. These include:
We are grateful to ATCF who has been marvelous with their patience and flexibility towards our project. We delivered a considerable amount for 20k (with additional co-funding as marine and fisheries field work is costly), laid the basis for long-term work, demonstrated to our Panamanian colleagues a new integrative and democratic approach to science which we are now seeing other colleagues starting to adopt. Sharing our story, work and our hopes for next stages are all aspects for which we would much appreciate ATCF support.
Project background
Panama has emerged as one of the key traders of shark products and as a gateway to critical shark habitats throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Coiba Island and surrounding waters, a UNESCO World Heritage site and national park in the Gulf of Chriqui, are considered to have some of the richest marine biodiversity in Panama. Utilized by divers, sports fishers and traditional fishers, it is also a key tourism destination.
The area is an important site for whitetip sharks, highly migratory endangered scalloped hammerheads and whale sharks. Although dive operators have noted decreased shark numbers, especially hammerheads, in the past two decades, baseline data for the park is lacking and prevents a full understanding of the abundance, distribution and diversity of shark communities and associated fisheries.
Artisanal fisheries, including the use of longlines to catch sharks, are legally permitted in many areas close to the park, and there are pending plans for large-scale developments on the island that would significantly increase impacts to fish populations. The need for action is urgent as Coiba is currently teetering on the edge of a red listing as a World Heritage Site in danger if the threat of unsustainable fisheries is not abated.
Project overview
The proposed project aims to reverse the decline in threatened shark species in Panama by:
- Establishing long-term standardized and participatory monitoring of sharks and rays using non-invasive camera trapping methods at 38 permanently established sampling stations throughout the park;
- Engaging visitors, fishers, local guides, and divers in a collaborative and comprehensive citizen science project to provide long-term data on sharks and rays through sightings reporting and photo identification of whitetip sharks, whale sharks and manta rays; and
- Providing the tourism sector and two key coastal fishing communities with education opportunities and engaging information on sharks and rays to change negative perceptions and consumer behavior over the long term.
In collaboration with partners, MarAlliance will develop a grid of randomly selected sampling stations that represent different habitats within Coiba National Park and then initiate both long-term standardized monitoring using baited underwater camera systems (BRUVs) and a citizen science project focused on sightings and photo identification of sharks and rays – all in relation to known dive and fishing sites. Throughout the course of this 16-month project, we will address the issue of limited understanding and field capacities in shark monitoring science by training four cohorts of community researchers and University of Panama students, as well as traditional fishers, captains, and local guides.
Through our quarterly community presentations and consultations, coupled with social and community diffusion derived from participatory research, MarAlliance will increase education and understanding of sharks with local fishers in two key fishing communities, engage visitors and the tourism operators based in Santa Catalina, inform park decision-makers and management both locally and in Panama City, and educate and inspire a broader Panamanian public through social media.
Project cost
Funding from the Footprints Network will be used to support field costs associated with monitoring including: local project assistant costs; local travel and accommodation; boat and captain, fisher assistant hire; scuba diving costs for two people; local meeting costs; printing costs for posters, surveys.
Partners and community involvement
MarAlliance has a very good relationship with local tour operators, guides, and local organizations and government agencies. It has also established strong community relations and partnerships through its citizen science work and the involvement of fishers in participatory research at other sites MarAlliance works. Local community engagement and capacity building of partners on the ground is a key component of its work. Throughout the project, MarAlliance will partner with MiAmbiente (Environment Department), Aquatic Resources of Panama (ARAP) – Fisheries Department, COIBA AIP - Scientific Council for Coiba, tour operators in Santa Catalina, and fishers primarily from Hicaco and Santa Catalina.
Part of a larger strategy
Our project will create a permanent sampling method and sites and lay the foundation for the longer-term change in attitudes and behaviour that are required for locally-led conservation of sharks and rays. The project’s engagement of visitors, local guides, and traditional fishers in scientific monitoring, citizen science and the educational outreach will provide a catalyst to long-term and lasting change in reversing the declines of sharks and rays in Panama.
The citizen science and fisheries-independent assessments dovetail with our sister project on small-scale fisheries assessments with Coiba-dependent communities. All generated information will provide requested inputs for policy- and decision-making for sharks at the local and national levels, enabling Panama to better meet its World Heritage and international convention obligations and provide a project with high replication potential to other countries bordering the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This project was originally supporting the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund to 'Train Bedouin trail guides in Egypt' however, due to unforeseen circumstances in the region, the donors and The Footprints Network have opted to re-allocate their donation to fund the 'Protect sharks and rays in Panama' project instead. You can view the original project proposal below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project background
A 170km hiking route in the highlands of Hurghada, the Red Sea Mountain Trail is mainland Egypt's first long-distance hiking trail. Founded in 2019 it is the sister project of the award-winning Sinai Trail – a 550km hiking route in the Sinai. The Red Sea Mountain Trail has already won backing from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism.
The project was developed by the Khushmaan clan of the Maaza, one of Egypts biggest Bedouin tribes, in collaboration with the international team of trail developers who worked to create the Sinai Trail. It is 100% owned by the Maaza today. A Bedouin Sheikh oversees the Red Sea Mountain Trail, ensuring its operation benefits the local community.
Hiking tourism is new here. The Bedouin community of Hurghada has never worked in this field. The funding from the Footprints Network will be used to conduct training sessions that will give Bedouin guides the best possible chance to succeed in this new work. The guides will carry this trail into the future.
If they succeed, the trail will succeed and grow into a strong, sustainable project that supports the wider
Bedouin community. Funds will be used to train older and younger Bedouin tribesmen in essential guide skills, including Wilderness First Aid, group management and the English language.
Project overview
This project is managed by a Bedouin community that has shared a close physical, economic and spiritual relationship with the natural world for centuries.
This Bedouin community is on the front lines of managing trail tourism and is better qualified and more committed than any other stakeholder to protecting the assets of their homeland that remain so central to their survival today, including both the natural environment and its resources, and the customs and traditions of its Bedouin communities.
Project activities
The project will organise training to build the skills and capacity of the Bedouin community. The goal is to give them the training they need to guide people in the best, safest, most inspiring, knowledgeable and responsible way.
The training will cover 3 areas:
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA): this will equip guides with the knowledge needed to handle everything from simple injuries and illnesses to critical medical emergencies. This training will help them do their jobs safely and with confidence. It will also inspire confidence in visitors. The course will be delivered in Arabic according to a SOLO accredited WFA syllabus.
- Group management: successfully managing a group of hikers and providing a comfortable and rewarding experience requires attention to many things e.g. personal relationships, cooking hygiene, telling stories, judgement in handling groups on tricky terrain etc. Bedouin guides with decades of tourism experience from the Sinai Trail will lead a 10 day training hike with new Bedouin guides. This will follow a guide training syllabus developed for the Sinai Trail in 2016.
- English language: Bedouin of the Red Sea Mountain Trail have not been formally educated and levels of English language and literacy – including Arabic literacy – are extremely low. We will administer an English language course for the Bedouin who will work on the Red Sea Mountain Trail in frontline guide roles. It will aim to build basic vocabulary and equip the Bedouin with the ability to hold the short, simple conversations needed to converse with hikers and guide them along the trail.
Partners and community involvement
The Red Sea Mountain Trail is a community initiative. It was developed from the beginning by members of the local Bedouin tribe and it remains 100% owned by them today. Ongoing development of the Red Sea Mountain Trail is overseen by Sheikh Merayi Abu Musallem the leader of the Khushmaan clan of the Maaza, and his primary role is to ensure the trail benefits the Bedouin communities around it.
The initiative falls squarely within Maaza Bedouin lands and they have been involved in every aspect of trail development. All hikes on the Red Sea Mountain Trail must be done with tribal permission from Sheikh Merayi Abu Musallem and all hikes must be guided by Bedouin of the Maaza. Only Bedouin of the Maaza tribe can currently work on the Red Sea Mountain Trail and they work in numerous occupations, from guides to cameleers, drivers and cooks. This is a Bedouin project and they will be at the heart of everything.
The Sinai Trail will partner with the Red Sea Mountain Trail in delivering at least some of the
training.
Part of a larger strategy
The Red Sea Mountain Trail seeks to grow a new adventure tourism industry in Hurghada. It is expected to grow into a stable, successful tourism initiative, based on several factors including:
- significant early demand for the trail;
- backing from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism;
- a highly positive reception in the world’s media; and
- the parallel success of its sister project the Sinai Trail.
The trail took 5 years to be developed. Now it has launched, the focus will be to see it grow into a successful tourist destination.
The Red Sea Mountain Trail works to address two key issues:
- Economic marginalisation: in creating a new economy based on adventure tourism in the desert it will create real, legitimate jobs and opportunities for the region's marginalised Bedouin communities.
- Loss of cultural heritage: the trail creates a kind of work that keeps the Bedouin using traditional desert skills and knowledge. These skills are an asset for employment in the new economy and this will help incentivise their preservation in an era they are being lost.