Panama has 16 national parks conserving a wide range of plant and animal species across several types of ecosystems including both Caribbean and Pacific beaches, coastal wetlands, mountainous rainforests, and rugged volcanic peaks.
Understand
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Panama has 17 protected natural areas that are designated as Parques Nacionales (national parks). In Panama, national parks are administered for the federal government by the Ministerio de Ambiente, known locally as MiAmbiente. In addition to national parks, protected natural areas can bear any of several other designations including national monument, forest, natural reserve, trail, wildlife reserve and others. In total, Panama protects just over 31% of its national territory. The largest protected area is the Darien gap, on the border with Colombia. The Darien is an area of dense jungle. Other protected environments include volcanoes, mountains, islands in both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, rainforests, and dry tropical forests.
Two of the national parks are designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (Darien and La Amistad). Five sites in Panama are designated Ramsar wetlands.
Parks
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National parks in Panama include:
- Altos de Campana National Park
- Barro Colorado Island
- Cerro Hoya National Park
- Chagres National Park
- Coiba National Marine Park
- Darién National Park
- Omar Torrijos "El Cope" National Park
- Golfo de Chiriquí Marine Park
- Hector Gallegos National Park
- Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park
- La Amistad International Park
- Camino Las Cruces National Trail
- Metropolitan National Park
- Portobelo National Park
- Santa Fe National Park
- Sarigua National Park
- Soberanía National Park
- Volcan Baru National Park
