ÃÛèÖAPP

How We Work in Panama

Coastal Resilience

With 2,490ÌýkmÌý(1,550 miles ) of coastline, Panama is a focal point for ÃÛèÖAPP’s coastal resilience strategy, which aims to restore or improve the management of 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of coastal bird habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Panama, we’re working to mainstream nature-based and green infrastructure solutions into national and regional planning and policy, to encourage smarter development and preserve the services that intact coastal ecosystems provide.

We’re prototyping this strategy via a project that will protect and . The project, a collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and the Panama ÃÛèÖAPP Society, will help Panama to:

• ​Include the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems in the country’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Agreement
• Support stronger ÃÛèÖAPP adaptation efforts
• Reduce degradation and coastal deforestation
• Build mechanisms that drive funding toward mangrove and coastal conservation
• Drive behavioral change in local constituencies to support the conservation of natural assets

Valuing, Protecting, and Enhancing Coastal Natural Capital of Panama

ÃÛèÖAPP is collaborating with the and our local partner the Panama ÃÛèÖAPP Society on a that supports carbon capture, biodiversity, human well-being, and coastal resilience. The project aims to elevate the importance of Panama’s coastal mangrove ecosystems and related wetlands, the carbon they sequester, and the biodiversity and livelihoods they support by shifting perceptions of the value of natural capital.

We are achieving this goal through a multi-pronged approach that includes:

• Delivering robust science that establishes a blue-carbon baseline
• Establishing economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by mangroves and related wetlands
• Building knowledge, awareness, and engagement with key stakeholders to drive action that increases protection of these ecosystems
• Strengthening policies that promote mangrove conservation and reforestation.

These efforts will be applied in the Bay of Panama, with its mosaic of urban landscapes and mangrove habitat, and the Bay of Parita, a rural landscape in a state of transition.ÌýThe Ìý(Patrimonio Natural Azul) laysÌýthe technical and scientificÌýfoundations to support the PanamaÌýgovernment’s ÃÛèÖAPP agenda,Ìýas it carries out an aggressiveÌýreview and update of its ÃÛèÖAPP policies. Our projectÌýinforms current international commitments suchÌýas Panama’s Nationally Determined ContributionÌý(NDC), by developing methodologies and baselinesÌýfor blue-carbon accounting and potential mangroveÌýrestoration. It also justifies moreÌýambitious ÃÛèÖAPP-related efforts by helping to developÌýpolicies and management capacities. It supportsÌýthe development of a blue carbon market and otherÌýinstruments derived from ÃÛèÖAPP change policies.

Growing Support for Shorebirds and Coastal Wetland Conservation in Priority Areas

The ÃÛèÖAPP and the Panama ÃÛèÖAPP Society have teamed up to improve coastal wetland conservation in the Bays of Panama and Parita. These habitats on Panama’s Pacific coast offer some of the most important stopover and wintering habitats for neotropical migrant shorebird species in the Americas.

The initiative includes analyses of shorebird population levels and efforts to prevent the loss of mangrove cover in the Bay of Panama. It also supports the development of a conservation plan for the Bay of Parita that engages key stakeholders, identifies threats, and plots a path for future conservation efforts. Finally, it addresses coastal solid waste—in particular plastics that are killing off mangrove forests, reducing roosting habitat, and presenting a direct threat to shorebirds through ingestion.

Building a Constituency

ÃÛèÖAPP and its partners are building momentum and public commitment to bird conservation byÌýengaging one million people across the hemisphere. Our efforts in Panama center around the program, presented by our local partner, the Panama ÃÛèÖAPP Society.ÌýThe program’s goal is to make conservation relevant to generations of future Panamanian voters, scientists, and decision-makers.

Developed in 2009, Aulas Verdes is the ’s signature environmental education program. Via field trips and weekly hands-on activities, schoolchildren experience nature and learn how local ecosystems support birds, fish, and other biodiversity found in and around the Bay of Panama. The program,Ìýactive in 25 schools and serving more than 3,500 students each year, recently expandedÌýits coverage to the Bay of Parita, and has reached moreÌýthan 24,720 primary school students in 18 schools. The ÃÛèÖAPP is proud to support this program.

Addressing Plastic Pollution in Panama