Coiba National Park

The islands of Coiba have been cut off by the sea for a while.

Some animals and plants there have become different from those on the mainland.

UNESCO says the islands of the Gulf of Chiriqui have been separated from the mainland for only a short time in evolution, yet new species are already forming. Many mammals, birds and plants here are endemic, found nowhere else.

The park lies close to the edge of the continental shelf and also close to the mainland, so it has both coastal and open-ocean waters, which gives it a wide range of habitats.

UNESCO (criterion ix): despite the islands' short isolation on an evolutionary timeframe, new species are forming, as the endemism of mammals, birds and plants shows, making the property an outstanding natural laboratory. The marine environments combine continental and oceanic influence because the property lies close to the edge of the continental platform and to the mainland; the islands have abrupt topography. Coiba's tropical moist forest is protected from cold winds and El Niño effects.

Rare birds like the crested eagle and the scarlet macaw live on Coiba Island.

Sharks, sea turtles, whales and dolphins swim in the sea around it.

UNESCO calls Coiba Island the last refuge for threatened animals that have largely disappeared from the rest of Panama, such as the crested eagle and the scarlet macaw.

In the sea there are 760 kinds of fish, 33 kinds of sharks and 20 kinds of cetaceans, the group that includes whales and dolphins. Sea turtles live here too, and its reefs help ocean fish and marine mammals travel and survive across the eastern Pacific.

UNESCO (criterion x): Coiba's forests hold many endemic birds, mammals and plants and are the last refuge for species largely gone from Panama, such as the crested eagle and scarlet macaw. The property includes 760 marine fish species, 33 shark species and 20 cetacean species; habitat for sea turtles and pelagic fish. Its islands are the only inshore group in the tropical eastern Pacific with significant populations of trans-Pacific (Indo-Pacific) fishes, and its reefs are a key link for pelagic fish and marine mammals.

Reefs grow in the sea around the islands.

Many fish live on the reefs.

UNESCO says the Gulf of Chiriqui can buffer its sea life against the temperature extremes of El Niño. That helps the park's marine life stay rich.

Some of its fish come from far across the Pacific: Coiba's islands are the only inshore islands in the tropical eastern Pacific with large populations of Indo-Pacific fishes.

UNESCO: the marine ecosystems are repositories of extraordinary biodiversity conditioned by the Gulf of Chiriqui's ability to buffer against temperature extremes of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation; Eastern Pacific reefs such as these show complex biological interactions. The islands are the only inshore group in the tropical eastern Pacific with significant trans-Pacific fish populations.

Wear a life jacket on a boat.

Wear a hat and sunscreen in the sun.

Reaching the islands means traveling by sea. The CDC says life jackets reduce the risk of drowning while boating for people of all ages, and children should wear one around natural water.

Out in the sun, the CDC advises a hat with a brim all the way around, sunglasses and sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, even on cloudy days.

UNESCO: difficult access in many areas, together with legal protection, keeps the property relatively unaltered. CDC: life jackets reduce drowning risk while boating for all ages and swimming abilities, and children should use them in and around natural water; sun safety: shade, protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, UVA/UVB sunglasses and broad-spectrum SPF 15+ sunscreen.