Pedasí () is one of five districts of the Los Santos Province, Panama.
History
Human settlement in the Azuero peninsula where Pedasí is located dates back anywhere from 11,000 yearsWright, S.J. and Samaniego, M.J. 2008. "Historical, Demographic, and Economic Correlates of Land-Use Change in the Republic of Panama", Ecology and Society. Retrieved Feb 16 2009. to 4500 years ago based on pre-Columbian artifacts and other archaeological evidence recovered from various sites on the peninsula.Calvo, A.C. 2008. Historia General de Panamá (General History of Panama), p.10, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Retrieved Feb 16 2009. Spanish colonizers arrived in the 16th century, largely wiping out or displacing existing indigenous populations.Calvo, A.C. 2008. Historia General de Panamá (General History of Panama), p.49, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Retrieved Feb 16 2009.
The district of Pedasí was created in 1840, when Panama was still tenuously united with Colombia (see the History of Panama for more background). At the time, it was a division of the County of Los Santos (today the province of Los Santos), in the province of Panama (which covered all of present-day Panama, except for the provinces of Veraguas and Bocas del Toro). The population of Pedasí in 1845 was 701 inhabitants."Algunas Características de la División Política-Administrativa de la Republica por Provincia, Comarca Indígena y Distrito: Año 2004"(Some Details of the Political-Administrative Division of the Republic by Province, Native Territory and District: Year 2004), Panama Comptroller General. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Since then, the land of the Pedasí district has been used extensively for cattle farming; the cultivation of sorghum, corn, cantaloupe, rice and watermelon; and the coastal villages support a small fishing industry.Documento Marco para la Elaboración del Plan para Controlar el Sídrome Pulmonar por Hanta Virus (SPH) (Framework Document for the Development of the Plan to Control the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), Panama Ministry of Health, National Health Policy Bureau, Department of Situation Analysis and Health Tendencies. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 17th 2009.
Geography
The Pedasí district covers an area of 378.3 square kilometers."Algunas Características de la División Política-Administrativa de la Republica por Provincia, Comarca Indígena y Distrito: Año 2004"(Some Details of the Political-Administrative Division of the Republic by Province, Native Territory and District: Year 2004), Panama Comptroller General. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009. It was once home to one of Panama's few swaths of dry tropical forest;Peréz, R.; Deago, J (2001)"Flora Arbórea del Bosque Seco de los Terrenos del Laboratorio Achotines en la Provincia de Los Santos, Panamá"(Arboreal Flora of the Dry Tropical Forest on the Grounds of the Achotines Laboratory in the Province of Los Santos, Panama),Biota Panama. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009. however, the area underwent heavy deforestation to make room for cattle pastures during the Spanish colonial era, leaving many of the hills and lowlands denuded. Some 70 hectares of dry tropical forest remain intact in the grounds surrounding the Achotines Laboratory in Pedasí, with another 50 hectares undergoing restoration."Achotines Laboratory", Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission]. Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Administrative divisions
Pedasí District is divided administratively into the following corregimientos:"Los Santos Province: Indicators of Human Development by district and township. Year 2000.", United Nations Development Program. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009 Purio Mariabe Pedasí (municipal seat) Los Asientos Oria Arriba
Pedasí is located at the eastern tip of the Azuero Peninsula on Panama's Pacific Coast. The birthplace of the first woman president of Panama, Mireya Moscoso, its picturesque and hilly landscape have drawn comparisons to regions like Tuscany, Italy.Jackson, N.B (2006). "Guest Book: A risk-taker with designs on Panama", International Herald Tribune. Retrieved Feb 12 2009
Climate
Pedasí is part of a region known as the "arco seco", or the dry Pacific arcWright, S.J. and Samaniego, M.J. 2008. "Historical, Demographic, and Economic Correlates of Land-Use Change in the Republic of Panama", Ecology and Society. Retrieved Feb 16 2009. due to the relatively little rainfall it receives during its summer (January to April) compared to the rest of Panama.http://www.feow.org/ecoregion_details.php?eco=208 Freshwater Ecoregions of the World. Retrieved Feb 16 2009. Average temperatures are 25-27 degrees Celsius year round.Wright, S.J. and Samaniego, M.J. 2008. "Historical, Demographic, and Economic Correlates of Land-Use Change in the Republic of Panama", Ecology and Society. Retrieved Feb 16 2009.
Demographics
The population of the Pedasí district is 3864 inhabitants according to a 2004 census."Algunas Características de la División Política-Administrativa de la Republica por Provincia, Comarca Indígena y Distrito: Año 2004"(Some Details of the Political-Administrative Division of the Republic by Province, Native Territory and District: Year 2004), Panama Comptroller General. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Economy Traditionally the domain of cattle ranches, agriculture and small fishing villages, the Pedasí district is now attracting the attention of tourism."Precarismo impide desarrollo en Azuero (Squatters Hinder Development in Azuero)" , El Siglo. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009. The area offers extensive sport-fishing, scuba diving, surfing, and birdwatching. Pedasí has had celebrity visits by the likes of Mick Jagger,Machan, T. (2008) "Property in Panama: Wherever they lay their hat?", Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved Feb 12 2009. Sylvester Stallone, Sean Connery, Mel Gibson and Tobey Maguire and Bryon Beckwith.Velásquez, A. (2008) "Not Famous in Pedasí (En Pedasí no son famosos)", Panamá América. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Attractions
The Pedasí district borders on the Pacific Ocean to the south and east, with several sandy and rocky beaches along its coast.
List of Beaches in the Pedasí District:Cortés, A. (2006) "Alcalde de Pedasí corta cercas ubicadas en playas" (Pedasí Mayor Tears Down Beach Fences), Prensa.com. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009"Ciudad de Los Santos (City of Los Santos)",Chitrenet (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 12 2009Hanna, J. "Surfing and Windsurfing in Panama" , PanamaInfo.com Retrieved Feb 12 2009"Surf Pedasí", Private Panama Tours Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Punta Tigre El Rincón/Rinconcito Mariabé El Arenal El Faro (Isla Iguana) El Cirial (Isla Iguana) El Toro La Garita Lagarto El Lanchón Punta Mala El Cascajal Los Destiladeros Indio Viejo Puerto Escondido Ano/Los Panamaes la Miel Oria Punta Chumico Achotines Bay El Ciruelo Playa Venao/Venado Madroñon Raya
Surfing
Pedasí's coast offers a variety of breaks for surfers. The most popular of these is Playa Venao (also known as Playa Venado), at Pedasí's western end, which was chosen for the 2007 Central American Surf Championship."Costa Rica Wins Third Central American Surf Champ Title" Surfline. Retrieved Feb 17 2009. Venao has a reliable south swell, with left and right breaks over a sandy bottom. Nearby beaches Ciruelo, Madroño and Raya also offer good surf, with hollow tubes at all three under optimum conditions. Other surfing beaches in Pedasí include El Toro, with a left and right point break; El Lagarto, with left and right beach breaks; and Los Destiladeros, with several breaks.Hanna, J. 2008 "Surfing and Windsurfing in Panama" , PanamaInfo.com. Retrieved Feb 17 2009.
Sport fishing
As the continental shelf drops sharply relatively close to shore, Pedasí's waters are chock full of pelagic game fish,Panama Fishing Retrieved Feb 17 2009 with year-round catch including amberjack, Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), cubera snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus), roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) and grouper, while dorado (Coryphaena hippurus, commonly called mahi-mahi, or dolphinfish), both bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) are found seasonally, November through April.Pedasi Fishing Retrieved Feb 17 2009
The fishery rides deep ocean currents running close to shore — much of the fishing can be found within eight miles of the shorelineCastaneda, R. 2007 "Panama is Happening!" Cass Tours Retrieved Feb 17 2009 — making the area ideal for light-tackle, deep-sea fishing enthusiasts.
The Pedasí district also houses an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) (www.iattc.org) research laboratory, the Achotines Laboratory, where visitors can take educational tours of the breeding and testing facilities, gaining a glimpse of the stages of yellowfin tuna reproduction."Achotines Laboratory", Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission]. Retrieved Feb 12 2009.
Wildlife Refuges
Isla Iguana Wildlife Refuge Isla Iguana is an island wildlife refuge five kilometers, or a 20-minute boat ride, from Playa El Arenal. The 52-hectare island is surrounded by an extensive coral reef, which gives it two powdery-soft white sand beaches: Playa El Cirial (252 meters long) and Playita del Faro (37 meters long).
It is also home to more than 62 bird species, and the largest nesting site in Panama for the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), with a population of more than 5000. The island also houses several reptile species, including the black iguana (Ctenosaura similis) for which the island is named.
The refuge also comprises a 40-hectare marine area — including migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between June and October — and one of the largest well-preserved coral reefs in Panama, ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving. Visitors to the reefs can expect to see a variety of fish, rays, eels, and sea turtles.
Entrance to the refuge is $4 for Panamanian nationals, $10 for foreigners, and $2 for seniors and students. Children under 12 enter free of charge.Fundación Isla Iguana
Pablo Arturio Barrios Wildlife Refuge
The Pablo Arturio Barrios Wildlife Refuge extends 22 kilometers along Pedasí's coast from Punta Mala to the Purio River mouth. With a total area of 30 hectares, this marine ecosystem dunes, mangroves, dry tropical forest, estuaries, and the beaches of El Rincón, Punta El Tigre, Mariabé, El Arenal, El Toro, La Garita and El LagartoClimaco, I.E. 2006. "National Parks of Panama: Pablo Arturio Barrios Wildlife Refuge" , National Environmental Authority. (Spanish) Retrieved Feb 17 2009. The marine area facing Isla Iguana is also protected, with only artisanal fishing allowed in its waters.
The refuge is considered an important bird habitat,Wright, S.J. and Samaniego, M.J. 2008. "Historical, Demographic, and Economic Correlates of Land-Use Change in the Republic of Panama", Ecology and Society. Retrieved Feb 16 2009. home to egrets, herons and cormorants among others.Angehr, G. 2005. Final Report: Waterbirds in Panama, BirdLife International. Retrieved Feb 17 2009.
Isla Cañas Wildlife Refugee
Isla Cañas is on the border of the Pedasí district, in the Tonosí district. This 832-hectare island is Panama's most important turtle-nesting site. Its 13-kilometer beach can receive hundreds of female turtles in a single night during nesting season. Five of Panama's marine turtles nest on Isla Cañas: olive ridley, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle and the leatherback turtle. All of these species, with the exception of the olive ridley, are endangered or critically endangered. The island's 800 or so inhabitants have an accord with the Panamanian government to protect the nesting sites, while also harvesting the turtle eggs in an ostensibly sustainable manner.