About Panama

Because of its unique geographical position as a "bridge" between two large continents, Panama supports a biologically rich collection of flora and fauna. It hosts the southernmost range of North American species as well as the northernmost range of South American species – creating remarkable biodiversity. With coastlines along both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Panama boasts equally impressive marine resources.

In order to abate some of the growing threats to its resources, Panama has created 63 protected areas that comprise almost 33% of the national territory. This includes two protected areas that are recognized internationally as both World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves – Darien National Park and La Amistad International Park. In 2005 Coiba National Park earned recognition as a World Heritage Site for its outstanding marine biodiversity, becoming the third protected area in Panama with this distinction. The Conservancy works in the Chagres basin, the Darien, La Amistad Bocas del Toro and the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The Conservancy has been instrumental in two debt-for-nature swaps in Panama.

The Chagres River produces the water needed to operate the Panama Canal and supplies half of Panama City’s fresh water. Its watershed consists of lush tropical forest that is also a refuge for endangered species such as the Harpy Eagle and the Jaguar. This forest is threatened by increasing agriculture and development. We are working with the government and local partners to protect this important watershed.
The Darien Gap is a wild and remote jungle covering 3,000 square miles of borderland between Panama and Colombia. With mountainous rain forests, expansive wetlands and estuaries, the Darién represents the only gap in the 16,000 mile Panamerican Highway that runs from Fairbanks, Alaska to southern Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego. The Conservancy is working to effectively manage the 1.4 million acre Darien National Park through many processes including a debt-for-nature swap.

In La Amistad, the Conservancy is working in La Amistad International Park as well as the marine portion of Bocas del Toro. The upper region of La Amistad consists of a volcanic region and is split between Costa Rica and Panama. The Conservancy has been working with the different management entities to create one unified management system for the entire park. We have also worked with local indigenous communities to develop alternative means of livelihoods and form networks with each other.In Bocas del Toro the Conservancy is helping the Municipality of Bocas del Toro ensure that the fragile terrestrial and marine ecosystems that local residents depend upon for their livelihoods are not irreparably altered.

Working at the local, regional, and national level, the Conservancy is developing innovative strategies that protect Panama’s marine and forest resources, while fostering economic development for the communities who depend on them. It has helped indigenous groups in La Amistad form networks to better share and implement sustainable means of livelihood such as tourism.