The Gulf of San Miguel contains 17% of the country's mangroves, which provide protection from storm surges, high winds, erosion, and marine pollution. The mangroves also serve as critical habitat to a wide diversity of fish, crab, and shrimp on which local people depend for food and their economy, also readily available, clean water sources are rare.
In the Darien region, there is a deterioration of water quality in communities due to lack of facilities for sewage treatment and a lack of management plans for wastewater. This pollution not only affects the communities' water supply but is also detrimental to the health of the ecosystem. The mangroves harbor fish and shrimp and their sale by local fisherfolk predominates, for subsistence and sale in local markets.
EcoLogic aims to combat the challenges through the following objectives; 1) Protect local water resources through micro-watershed management; 2) Prepare formal request to the national government to declare a protected area in the Gulf of San Miguel area and ; 3) Train leaders and members of the consolidated fishing organization to increase sustainable fishing practices and generate improved income for its members
To strengthen the capacity of the Fisherfolk Association, EcoLogic will help throughout the process to ensure the association becomes a fully registered non-profit organization while increasing their network and leadership so they may work with communities to steward mangrove forests and care for water resources. We aim to accomplish this by providing training in Panama's protected area laws, norms, and participatory management methods while facilitating collaboration and learning exchanges.