GC Releases Fourth in the Series - War on Nature: Panama

Darien National Park is the largest protected area in Central America and the Caribbean. This biosphere reserve is considered the most important natural lung in the world after the Amazon rainforest. These forests provide habitat for the endangered brown-headed spider monkey, the endangered Baird’s tapir, harpy eagles, and many more.

Migrants who make it to this village, now run by a small force of Panamanian military personnel, in the middle of jungle get some small reprieve before they have to move on... that is, if they are given the authority to do so. Photo ©Joshua Asel

Economic insecurity, political upheaval, violence, and climate change are driving record numbers of migrants from their home countries. The Daring Gap is infamously known as a dangerous jungle hiding cartel members, paramilitary forces, and drug traffickers.

Each year, 500,000 illegal immigrants passing through the Darien gap leave behind 10 million pounds of trash and human waste, which presents a significant challenge for the National Park. This makes the human waste total over 100 million pounds during the past decade. The waste often spreads to many other parts of Panama, polluting local ecosystems and affecting entire communities.

Endangered Harpy eagles are quickly disappearing as the jungle habitats that they rely on are destroyed literally every minute of the day. With just a few hundred left in Panama, this juvenile unknowingly represents the future of his species. Photo ©Joshua Asel

An aerial view of the Pan-American Highway Expansion from its original ending site in Yaviza, Panama, which now expands miles into pristine and protected jungle ecosystems. Photo ©Joshua Asel.

Ecological biodiversity has allowed Darien to become one of the most species-rich rainforests in the world, which links the ecosystems of Central and South America. The threats to this landscape are many. Going against popular opinion, the government has decided to expand the Pan American Highway deep into pristine jungle habitat. This expansion will create more opportunities for deforestation, wildlife poaching, and the funneling of drugs and human trafficking by the Colombian cartel.

"Legitimate" Chinese logging companies in Panama operate on the fringes of legality, at best. China is a major destination for illegal timber from Panama, and the country's demand for wood has contributed to an increase in illegal logging globally. Photo ©Joshua Asel

Illegal mining, land clearing, and the extraction of timber and wildlife by poachers have already been present for decades and are only increasing in scale.

Although sometimes occurring naturally, the vast majority of wildfires are started in order to clear the land for timber extraction or cattle ranching. The flames, smoke, and ash affect everything living in the area, including people and wildlife.

Emerba Wounan Rangers are funded by Global Conservation to protect the Darien National Park. Photo ©Joshua Asel

To keep jungles healthy and flourishing, Global Conservation’s collaboration with local Panamanians, including the Embera Wounan tribe, is core to our work in park and wildlife protection.

In 2020, Global Conservation launched Global Park Defense to combat illegal activities within Darian National Park and protect its inhabitants and surrounding communities.

After completing a threats and needs assessment, Global Conservation deployed park-wide satellite communications, trained Ranger teams on SMART patrolling software, and provided equipment to enhance patrolling.

Most recently, Global Conservation provided fire prevention technologies and training for the Ranger battalion embedded in Darien National Park.

We have the solutions. It's clear that we need to help local and indigenous communities by having them adopt the global park defense program. This program provides training for Rangers and gives them technology to be able to protect their own ecosystems.

We're in the middle of the 6th mass extinction of the world, and we literally don't have any time to lose places like Darien National Park that act as a major carbon capture site and contain stunning coastal landscapes that give way to primary tropical forces, and swamps need to be protected at all costs.