Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve, Diverse Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

You can book the tour: Conservation Walk at the Pablo Barrios Reserve

People often wonder why there are no buildings on the beaches of Pedasi, unlike Playa Venao. The answer lies in the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve. This refuge covers an area of ​​15,026 hectares and 4,408 square meters, of which 13,000 are marine area. It is bordered to the west by the townships of Purio, Mensabe, and Pedasi; to the south by Punta Mala and the Pacific Ocean; to the north by the Purio River and the Gulf of Panama; and to the east by Isla Iguana and the Gulf of Panama.

How was the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve created?

The Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve was established in 1981, thanks to a community struggle for the conservation of natural resources, spearheaded by the fishing community of Pedasi. Pablo Arturo Barrios was one of the key figures in this struggle, who passed away suddenly just as the municipal agreement creating the protected area was being signed. In his honor, the area was named in his memory, making it one of only three protected areas in Panama named after a person.

In 2009, the then National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM) issued a resolution to establish the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Refuge. In 2019, the administration of the protected area was transferred to the PRO ECO AZUERO Foundation by the Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente), an agreement ratified by the Comptroller General of the Republic of Panama. Simultaneously, a bill to create the Board of Trustees for Isla Iguana and Pablo A. Barrios was introduced before the National Assembly.

Part of the regulations for the area permits fishing in Pedasi, including the coastal areas between the two reserves, exclusively for artisanal fishing. Trawling and the use of large shrimp trawlers are prohibited.

Tourism at the Pablo Barrios Refuge

Many are familiar with the Isla Iguana Marine Reserve, a popular tourist destination for boat trips, snorkeling tours, and whale watching in Pedasi. However, few know about the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve, located directly across the water. For this reason, Refugio Pedasí has ​​organized a morning tour to educate visitors about the importance of the area and showcase this unique place in Panama.

Pro Eco Azuero certified 15 local ecotourism guides so they could lead tours of this gem of the Azuero Peninsula. The goal is to generate income through sustainable practices, so the guides received training and were provided with educational materials such as guidebooks and maps, as well as equipment like binoculars and uniforms.

The Pablo A. Barrios Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 400 hectares of mangroves at the mouth of the Purio River. These ecosystems offer potential for boat and kayak tours, similar to the mangrove tours on Isla Cañas. The mangroves provide refuge for fish and birds, act as a sediment filter for the river, and serve as a natural barrier against extreme weather events.

The Pedasi Refuge also organizes the Mango Fest every year, which is part of the Fresh Friday market at CouCou Crazy.

Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve Ecosystem

Azuero is known as the dry arc of Panama, with 25.5% forest cover, 73.8% other land, and only 0.7% water bodies. For this reason, it is crucial to conserve the existing protected areas in Los Santos. This refuge is home to diverse coastal and marine ecosystems, including tropical dry forests, dunes, salt flats, estuaries, and mangroves, as well as several beaches such as Playa El Toro, Playa Arenal, and Playa El Rincon in Mariabe.

This area boasts a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, with more than 90 bird species reported in the refuge, including numerous waterfowl. White-tailed deer, peccaries, and coatis inhabit the secondary forests. Iguanas and other reptiles are relatively abundant along the forest edges and coastal areas.

Tortugas Pedasi is also part of the group of NGOs working on the conservation of the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve. This group supports the conservation of sea turtles and their habitat. Did you know that four species of sea turtles nest in Pedasi? The most common are the Kemp's ridley and the green sea turtle.

A scientific study identified 70 individual plant species in the coastal dunes of Pedasi. These dunes, formed by unidirectional ocean winds that erode the sand, are kept stable by the vegetation cover, which includes trees, shrubs, and grasses. You can observe plants like beach oats, which have a robust, interwoven root system that stabilizes the dunes against storms, wind, and tides, in addition to providing shade and shelter for small animals and insects.

These dunes also retain rainwater, desalinating the groundwater they filter through. Furthermore, they prevent salt from reaching inland agricultural fields, carried by sea winds, and act as a barrier against organic erosion.

Beach clean-up tours are carried out constantly within the Pablo Barrios Wildlife Reserve, in a coordinated effort between all the institutions responsible for the management of the refuge, citizen participation and the Municipality of Pedasi.