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The site was identified as important in 2003 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola	VU	winter	1988-1997	3,270 individuals	A4i
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus	LC	winter	1988-1997	30,000 individuals	A4i
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus	LC	winter	1988-1997	5,844 individuals	A4i
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla	NT	winter	1997	165,000 individuals	A4i
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri	LC	winter	1997	1,091,000 individuals	A4i
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus	VU	winter	1988-1997	6,273 individuals	A4i
Willet Tringa semipalmata	LC	winter	1988-1997	10,841 individuals	A4i
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	winter	1988-1997	1,000,000-2,499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2003) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2003. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Intertidal	moderate (70-90%)	good (> 90%)	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management planning has taken place	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Bahía de Panamá	Humedal de Importancia Internacional	100
2003	Bahía de Panamá	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	100

The Local Conservation Group(s) listed below are working to conserve this IBA.

Name	Year formed
Amigos del Ambiente	2005
Junta Local de Oquendo	2005

For more information on BirdLife's work with Local Conservation Groups, please click here.

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Intertidal		46
Forest	Mangrove	37
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	major (>10)
fisheries/aquaculture	major (>10)
rangeland/pastureland	major (>10)
nature conservation and research	major (>10)
tourism/recreation	minor (<10)
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Upper Bay of Panamá (Panama). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/upper-bay-of-panamá-iba-panama on 23/11/2024.