{"id":14308,"date":"2026-06-30T11:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=14308"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:40:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T19:40:34","slug":"panamas-first-national-park-marks-60-years-of-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/environment\/panamas-first-national-park-marks-60-years-of-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama&#8217;s First National Park Marks 60 Years of Conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deep in the province of Panama Oeste, a pair of panoramic binoculars now sits at a renovated viewpoint called Caja de Agua. Visitors who look through them see something remarkable: more than 4,800 hectares of protected forest that started it all. This is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Altos_de_Campana_National_Park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve<\/a>, the very <strong>first national park<\/strong> Panama ever created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 28, 2026, the park turned 60 years old. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oas.org\/en\/topics\/environment.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ministry of Environment Panama<\/a> held a celebration that drew government officials, park rangers, and community leaders to the site. They didn&#8217;t just come to cut a cake. They came to talk about what six decades of protection actually means for a country still wrestling with how to balance development and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d150074.06480107168!2d-80.03237576460808!3d8.724914178915228!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8fac9254ed1ae181%3A0xfe77dae5ebe53e5c!2sParque%20Nacional%20y%20Reserva%20biol%C3%B3gica%20Altos%20de%20Campana!5e0!3m2!1sen!2spa!4v1782761949010!5m2!1sen!2spa\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From a 1966 Decree to a National Treasure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Executive Decree No. 153 created Altos de Campana on June 28, 1966. At the time, Panama had no national parks at all. The idea of setting aside land specifically for conservation was new, even radical. That first step opened the door for the country&#8217;s entire protected areas system that exists today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro made the stakes clear during the anniversary event. &#8216;National parks are the heart of conserving our natural heritage,&#8217; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8216;At MiAMBIENTE we continue strengthening protected areas through more investment, better infrastructure, the committed work of our park rangers, and strategic alliances that allow us to guarantee biodiversity protection&#8217; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The park sits in a transition zone between lowland and cloud forests. That means it hosts species you won&#8217;t find anywhere else on Earth. Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have studied its ecosystems for decades, and the park remains a living laboratory for understanding tropical biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"Celebration - 60 years Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve by MiAmbiente\" class=\"wp-image-14305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/celebration-60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Celebration &#8211; 60 years Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve by MiAmbiente<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Investments That Go Beyond Ceremonies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The anniversary wasn&#8217;t just about looking back. Officials used the event to showcase real changes on the ground. The Caja de Agua viewpoint got a full modernization. Hiking trails received rehabilitation work. New interpretive signage now helps visitors understand what they&#8217;re seeing. Safety infrastructure got upgrades too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accessibility improvements mean people with disabilities can now experience parts of the park that were previously off limits. Those panoramic binoculars at the viewpoint give everyone a better chance to spot wildlife without disturbing the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These upgrades tie directly into a bigger vision. Navarro mentioned the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/International_Ranger_Federation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World Congress of Protected and Conserved Areas 2027<\/a>, which Panama will host. That event puts the country in the global spotlight for conservation. &#8216;This commitment will also be reflected in the World Congress of Protected and Conserved Areas 2027,&#8217; Navarro said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8216;An opportunity for Panama to show the world the progress achieved to consolidate a more solid, resilient, and participatory protected areas system&#8217; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"60 years Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve by MiAmbiente\" class=\"wp-image-14307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/60-years-altos-de-campana-national-park-and-biological-reserve-by-miambiente-1200x800-1.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">60 years Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve by MiAmbiente<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community Partners Who Make It Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parks don&#8217;t protect themselves. The anniversary ceremony handed out certificates to a long list of groups that help keep Altos de Campana running. The Campana Lions Club showed up. So did the Single Emergency Management System, the Panama Red Cross, and the National Civil Protection System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Universities played a big role too. The Technological University of Panama and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute both received recognition. Local schools like the Chica Basic General Education Center and the Enrique A. Jimenez School were honored for their environmental education work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Community leaders Gabriel Tunon, the representative for Campana in the Capira district, and Nilda Nunez, the representative for Chica in the Chame district, accepted certificates alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/business-economy\/panama-mining-debate-intensifies-with-digital-attacks-on-environmental-activists\/\" rel=\"internal\">Environmental Volunteers<\/a> from Chica. The list included nonprofits like Adopta Bosque Panama, the Nature and Science 507 Foundation, and the Association of Community Environmental Leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This network of partners matters more than most people realize. Park rangers can&#8217;t be everywhere at once. Local volunteers spot problems early. Schools build the next generation of conservationists. Universities provide the data that proves why protection matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Walk Through History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The celebration ended with something simple but powerful. Officials, park rangers, staff, and visitors walked together along the Podocarpus and Zamora trails. These paths wind through forests that have stood since before Panama was a country, before the canal was built, before anyone thought to protect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They sang happy birthday at the end. But the real message was about the next 60 years. Panama faces serious environmental challenges. Mining debates have divided the country. Development pressure keeps pushing against park boundaries. Climate change threatens even protected ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Altos de Campana proves that conservation can work when people commit to it. The park holds more than trees and animals. It holds the original idea that Panama&#8217;s natural wealth deserves protection. Six decades later, that idea still matters. The question now is whether the country will keep investing in it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deep in the province of Panama Oeste, a pair of panoramic binoculars now sits at a renovated viewpoint called Caja de Agua. Visitors who look through them see something remarkable: more than 4,800 hectares of protected forest that started it all. This is Altos de Campana National Park and Biological Reserve, the very first national<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[1735,143,50,147],"class_list":["post-14308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-altos-de-campana","tag-conservation","tag-panama","tag-panama-conservation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14309,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14308\/revisions\/14309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}