By Mariana and Tessa
We’ve spent most of the trip thus far on the Pacific Coast of Panama, but today we traveled to the Caribbean Coast to work alongside the CREHO scientists who have been studying the coastline. To start off the day we woke up, as usual, to have breakfast at the hotel, and left on the bus by 7:30 a.m. and started on our two-hour journey to Portobelo on the Caribbean Coastline.
When we first arrived on the beach, we conducted four water quality analysis tests on saltwater and freshwater to see how pH, temperature, turbidity, nitrate levels, nitrite levels, and ammonia levels differ between saltwater and freshwater. Then we ventured towards the coral reef and we found native marine life, such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, fish, starfish, and more! Not only that, but we also found an unidentified species of eggs that the CREHO scientists have been studying!
To finish off our work with CREHO, we had one final discussion. At first we talked about the importance of coral in terms of protection from tsunamis and waves, contributing to the biodiversity of marine life, and providing a beautiful ecosystem to attract tourists. However, we also addressed the issues within our human nature that are killing the coral and leaving reefs barren. Unfortunately, as great of a structure as the Panama Canal is, when men were in the process of building the canal — and other structures in the water — they had to dig up some coral in order to make space. This uprooting led to less homes for fish, and less fish for fishermen. This shows us how industrialism directly affects locals and marine life.
When we got back, we compared the differences between the Caribbean Coastline and Pacific Coastline of Panama. We were told that the Caribbean side has a smaller continental shelf, waves which are approximately one meter high, slightly warmer water due to maintaining the coral, and more biodiversity compared to the Pacific side because of the reef. As well as a new algae called sargassum that increases ammonia, which kills the corals, which in turn kills the fish. The Pacific side, however, has a bigger continental shelf, waves that are approximately 6 meters high due to there being no coral reef to break them, and lots of currents from the numerous rivers which keeps the fish healthy.
We learned that there are also some regulations on fishing so that people don’t overfish. By instilling regulations, this ensures humans won’t catch more fish than can reproduce and replace the caught ones. It is crucial to balance fishing, tourism, conservation, and development to ensure the survival of the economy and biodiversity in Panama. With too little fishing, fishermen could lose their jobs, but with too much it could lead to loss of biodiversity, and therefore leading to the Tragedy of the Commons. Additionally, it is vital to protect the coastlines from being developed too much as loss of mangroves, seagrass, or coral reefs could result in major flooding and other destructive impacts as we discussed earlier in the week. This means there must be a good balance of fishing, tourism, development, and conservation in order to keep the biodiversity high, the humans happy, and the economy thriving. After our discussions we were all gifted bracelets and certificates to celebrate our hard work over the past couple days with the CREHO group.
After our water analysis testing, we took a quick bus ride to another part of the coast where we ate lunch of either fish or chicken and then went on a boat ride to another beach to go snorkeling! While snorkeling we saw coral in its natural habitat and how all of the animals interacted with each other in a symbiotic manner. The coral reefs need very specific pH levels and temperature in order to survive, so it is easy to tell if the temperature or pH is out of normal range based on the coral. After snorkeling, we spent time on the beach and in the water to enjoy the view and appreciate the beauty of Panama. Many said that the beach was their favorite part of the trip, despite some walking away with mild notes of sunburn. After the beach we took a boat ride back to the restaurant, where we had lunch and relaxed by the pool until it was time for dinner. We got on the bus, took the two-hour ride into Panama City, and finished our day with a choice of fried chicken or fish.
Seeing marine life up close inspired us to think about the best ways that humans can protect them. We had a group discussion about how reducing takeout containers and planting mangroves protects the ecosystems. Finally we discussed how seagrass, mangroves, and coral reefs all work together to protect fish habitats and overall biodiversity.
We also learned about the ways that the ecosystem helps us both directly and indirectly, as humans rely on coastal ecosystems for provisional services such as fish for food, freshwater, natural medicines; regulating services such as mangrove protection from the coast; supporting services such as cycling nutrients and photosynthesis seen in plants; and finally cultural services such as snorkeling.
In conclusion, today was a long day that entailed a lot of learning and fun. While the bus rides were long, the beach was beautiful, and it really captured the spirit and beauty of Panama.