[5] 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.

[7] It was once home to one of Panama's few swaths of dry tropical forest;[8] 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.

The birthplace of the first woman president of Panama, Mireya Moscoso, its picturesque and hilly landscape have drawn comparisons to regions like Tuscany, Italy.

[11] Pedasí is part of a region known as the "arco seco", or the dry Pacific arc[12] due to the relatively little rainfall it receives during its summer (January to April) compared to the rest of Panama.

Traditionally the domain of cattle ranches, agriculture and small fishing villages, the Pedasí district is now attracting the attention of tourism.

Pedasí has had celebrity visits by the likes of Mick Jagger,[17] Sylvester Stallone, Sean Connery, Mel Gibson and Tobey Maguire and Bryon Beckwith.

As the continental shelf drops sharply relatively close to shore, Pedasí's waters are chock full of pelagic game fish,[25] 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.

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.

[29] The Pablo Arturio Barrios Wildlife Refuge extends 22 kilometers along Pedasí's coast from Punta Mala to the Purio River mouth.

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.

[34] Carnival is the annual high point of local life in Pedasí, which is renowned for the most exuberant celebration after Las Tablas.