National parks and biodiversity
The various protected areas represent around 25% of the country's surface area. Panama boasts 13 national parks, including one international park.
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Omar Torrijos National Park (25,275 ha): located in the country's Cordillera Central, it offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans from its heights. It was in this park in Coclé province, on the slopes of Cerro Marta (1,046 m), that General Torrijos' plane crashed in 1981, not far from Cerro Peña Blanca (1,314 m). Hikers can follow the park's three emblematic trails: Los Helechos, La Rana and Cuerpo de Paz.
Sarigua National Park (4,729 ha): located in the province of Herrera, this park protects the "Sarigua Desert", an arid, salty zone rich in biodiversity. Its remarkable ecosystems include mangroves and pelicans.
Barú Volcano National Park (14,322 ha): located in the province of Chiriquí, this park is home to the ecosystems of the volcano of the same name, the highest point in Panama at almost 3,500 m, in the Cordillera de Talamanca. In addition to the volcano, which is currently dormant and can be climbed (Quetzal trail), the park is irrigated by numerous rivers and features a wide variety of flora and fauna.
La Amistad International Park (207,000 ha): a UNESCO World Heritage Site, shared by Panama and Costa Rica, this is the "Mesoamerican Biological Corridor". Its tropical rainforests (or mist forests) are thought to contain a fifth of Central America's species.
Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (13,226 ha, including 1,630 ha of island land): located in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, this marine park protects fragile environments, including mangroves, coral reefs and beaches with turtle nesting sites.
Darien National Park (579,000 ha). Both a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this vast area is characterized by its exceptional biodiversity and the variety of its ecosystems: plains, wetlands, mountains. Its beaches, mangroves and rainforest are particularly noteworthy. More than 56 threatened or endangered species, numerous endemic species and 450 bird species have been recorded here. It should be noted, however, that the Darién jungle is a dangerous zone, far from the roads, where armed gangs are rife, sometimes at the expense of migrants in transit from South America to North America.
Environmental impact of the Panama Canal and the Mesoamerican Corridor
The Panamá is a "natural" circulation route for species, helping to maintain the evolutionary dynamics of living organisms. However, the construction of the Panamá Canal has created a physical break unseen since the formation of the Panamá Isthmus 31 million years ago. To restore ecological continuity, a Mesoamerican corridor project was launched in 1998. It aims to connect highly natural protected areas, enabling species migration, restoring ecosystems and thereby maintaining biodiversity.
The canal has also had an impact on the lakes that feed it, while maritime traffic has led to a deterioration in air and water quality, and the dispersal of invasive species.
Protecting the defenders of life and the rights of nature
Since 2018, the country has been a signatory to the Escazu Agreement, designed to protect nature activists and defenders. In place in various Latin American and Caribbean countries, it aims to guarantee the rights of indigenous populations in particular.
The country is also working to make nature a subject of law. A law that came into force in 2023 gives nature the "right to exist, to persist and to regenerate its cycles", enabling its representatives (legal entities or individuals) to defend it in court.
Towards agro-ecological practices
Deforestation is also a major concern in the country. Agroecology and agroforestry projects are being rolled out across the country. One example is a sylvopasture experiment, which combines tree planting and grazing. This scheme has a number of advantages: it promotes biodiversity by maintaining natural habitats, provides income for farmers and enables carbon storage.
Facing climate change
Panama is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which is reflected in the greater frequency and intensity of extreme events. For example, the country was hit hard by Hurricane Julia in October 2022. It has also suffered long and severe periods of drought, which in 2019 led to a drop in the level of lakes Gatún and Alajuela, which feed the Panamá Canal (with repercussions on shipping traffic) and contribute to the supply of drinking water and hydroelectricity. Another strong symbol is the San Blas archipelago, which is threatened by rising sea levels, leading to the displacement of populations to the mainland.
The country is committed to a national energy plan (2015-2050), aimed in particular at increasing the share of renewable energies, with a target of 50% by 2050.
Turmoil and negotiations surrounding a copper mine
Panama is home to a vast open-pit copper mine, which accounts for 4% of its GDP, and is operated under concession by a Canadian company, First Quantum Minerals. In March 2023, after several months of disputes over the terms of the site's concession renewal (economic terms including royalty amounts, environmental and social commitments), Panama and the operating company reached an agreement. It remains to be seen what measures will be taken to respect the environment, workers and local populations. Copper mining, one of the world's most widely consumed metals, is of great economic and strategic interest today, but at the same time has major environmental and social impacts (notably water and air pollution, deforestation, land degradation, disappearance of natural habitats, production of hazardous waste). To be continued.
A dam as a source of conflict
The construction of the Barro Blanco dam, commissioned in 2017 in the province of Chiriquí, sparked a conflict between the Ngäbe indigenous people, defenders of the Tabasara river, and the Panamanian government, leading to the suspension of work for a time in 2015. The construction of such a structure came at a time when the country's energy sector was being privatized, leading to energy production that was out of sync with the country's needs, and without any real consideration for the environment and local populations.
