First scenic assessment of the Coiba National Park’s beaches (Panama)

Abstract

Coiba National Park (PNC) is one of the most important marine protected areas in the Americas, as an essential part of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor. As a marine protected area, its main objective is biodiversity conservation, although nature-based tourism and nautical activities are allowed. This research focused on the application of the Coastal Scenery Evaluation System (CSES) method along the entire PNC coastline. Based on two field visits, covering more than 200 km of coastline, 42 beaches were identified and evaluated, the vast majority in highly natural conditions. Similarly, five beaches were analyzed for biological data associated with the diversity of coastal fauna, as a preliminary inventory. The result of the CSES fuzzy logic calculation classified 64% of the beaches in the two highest scenery grades, with only 3 beaches in class IV, and none in class V. Regarding the biological data, macroinvertebrates were mostly represented by 13 mollusks, 1 echinoderm and 1 crustacean. In addition to scientific results, the research identified those beaches with the potential to be certified as coastal scenery of heritage value. In conclusion, this evaluation will help guide nature-based tourism actions within the PNC, and will serve as a baseline for future monitoring of the impact that tourism activity may have on beach fauna and natural attributes.