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Panama Adopts the Saboga National Wildlife Refuge, Protecting Critical Sea Turtle Habitat and Upholding the Rights of Nature

Cover image © Callie Broaddus
[PANAMA CITY, PANAMA] On September 12, 2024, the Minister of the Environment of Panama, Juan Carlos Navarro, signed a Ministerial Decree No. DM-0631-2024, (Gaceta No. 30122-A, 19 September 2024) designating the Saboga National Wildlife Refuge, an almost 86 square kilometer area including 10 islands and islets of the Pearl Islands Archipelago.
The Pearl Islands Archipelago is a collection of over 240 islands and islets and 3,188 beaches, located in the Gulf of Panama, approximately 48 kilometers off the Pacific Coast of Panama. This Archipelago has an impressive marine species richness and diversity that has yet to be fully discovered, studied, and recognized for its importance within the Latin American region and around the globe. It provides, at least currently or historically, a breeding ground for four sea turtle species: hawksbill, green, leatherback, and olive ridley sea turtles.…

Posted in hope spots, mission blue, Panama, Partner Stories, turtles |

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Mapping the World’s Sea Turtles

Thanks to the hard work of over 550 dedicated people around the world, the SWOT (State of the World’s Sea Turtles) database is now one of the most comprehensive global databases of sea turtle nesting sites available; and it’s just gone live on Google Earth.  Now you are able to view this extensive database on a Google Map, or you can download a KML file to see all of the data inside of the Google Earth platform.

The interactive map is highly detailed and customizable, allowing you to filter by location, species, colony size and more.  The depth of data on the map is impressive, containing data from over 120 countries around the world. There’s even a place on the SWOT Website where you can participate by uploading information about your own turtle sightings.  …

Posted in endangered species, Google Earth, Google Oceans, IUCN, SEAlliance, sylvia earle, turtles |

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Hol Chan Habitats

Today was dedicated to the habitats of Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We began with an early dive among the mangrove forests that provide a nursery to most of the fish and invertebrate species that make up the barrier reef ecosystem. Snorkeling silently through a shallow mangrove creek, we spied snappers, angelfish, grunts, shrimps and a solitary batfish, whose pectoral fins act like tiny arms as he scoots along the nutrient-rich muddy bottom.

Mangroves are extremely important to the health of tropical ecosystems, serving many critical functions. In addition to their role as a breeding ground for reef species, they provide shelter to juveniles of many species, protect shorelines from storm surge and erosion, and filter sediments and nutrients from the land that would otherwise harm the reef.…

Posted in Belize, coral, deep search, diving, dolphins, groupers, hol chan, Marine Protection, sylvia earle, turtles |

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