Pedasí



This past weekend I took the bus with Isobel and Tanya to Pedasi, a small village of 1,400 people on the eastern coast of the Azuero Peninsula. It is a few kilometers away from the beach. (And a 40 minute drive to Playa Venao, a prime surf spot that hosted the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in 2011!) We stayed with two host families for 4 days. Nearby is the Pablo Barrios Natural Reserve which extends 200m inland and a few kilometers out to sea, along 27 kilometers of coast. This area was declared a protected area by the state in 2009. A local cooperative is working hard with the ministry of the environment to create a management plan for the area, in hopes that it will eventually generate ecotourism and attract scientific research. One of the classes we are taking for this program is "Reasearch in Panama" which is essentially an internship where you have to hand in a 50 page project report in spanish at the end. To help the cooperative, we will be conducting interviews along the coast with fishermen that work within the limits of the protected area. We will also speak with investors who have land and have built or are planning to build (The coast is becoming developed quite fast). Unfortunately not many people are aware that it is completely illegal to build within those 200m from the coast since is does not seem that the cooperative has the resources or personel to identify the area and make the law known to everyone (and to fine those who trespass..)

Map from Panama City to Pedasí



In the end, our job is an initial collection of information, asking people why they built in this area, if they are willing to be involved in the conservation process, what are they using their land for etc. We hope to somehow integrate GIS in our project, and also need to dedicate a part to the proposal for a Turtle sanctuary in the reserve.We will return for a week in Februrary, to hopefully get started right away with interviews!

The Azuero Earth Project in Pedasi is being of great help to us (http://www.azueroearthproject.org/). This NGO's mission for the past couple of years has been to "preserve the ecosystem of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, protect biodiversity, and promote healthy communities by helping people to make informed decisions, take sustainable actions, and share knowledge."

 



Central Plaza in Pedasi







Map of the Azuero Peninsula





 


  

First ice cream in panama!


 

Office of the Proyecto Ecologico Azuero



One of the interesting "cultural experiences" during our stay was to attend a cockfight. We drove to Las Tablas with one of our host families for the night. These birds are specially bred and conditioned in preparation. For 15 minutes at a time, two birds of the same weight fought (cocks possess a natural agression towards other males). Spurs (made of turtle shell) are sharpened and tied to their legs. Most encounters do end in the death of one of thebirds, while a few make it out alive.. It is considered illegal in most countries but advocates of the sport argue that it is "natural behavior". This is definitely not something I would want to sit through for 4 hours again but it was interesting to see how just how obssessed and indifferent everyone was.





On happier note we did spend the next day in the sun. A deserted beach of a few kilometers all to ourselves..