De cárcel a patrimonio mundial: historia del impacto ambiental en la Isla Penal de Coiba, Panamá (1872-2023)

Coiba Island, once a penal colony and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has undergone significant environmental transformations over 150 years. The study identifies nine distinct periods of land use and disturbance, revealing that despite extensive human activity—including selective logging, multi-stratified agroforestry, and cattle ranching—approximately 80% of the island remains covered by mature forest. Key findings include the presence of long-lasting fallow periods (33-9 years) creating a gradient of succession from the center to the east, and contrasting contemporary sites with divergent histories. These insights underscore the resilience of Coiba's ecosystems but also highlight the need for long-term studies to fully understand the legacy of anthropogenic perturbations.

Garrido Pérez, E. I., & Mali Mali Bastidas, N. (2026). De cárcel a patrimonio mundial: historia del impacto ambiental en la Isla Penal de Coiba, Panamá (1872-2023). Revista Veritas de Difusão Científica, 6(3), 4713–4748. https://doi.org/10.61616/rvdc.v6i3.1174