Event


Conservation and Productive Landscapes of Panama

Greg Ives

Nov 9, 2016 at | 358 Hayden Hall

The Azuero Peninsula of Panama is a region where tropical dry forest was once abundant, but hundreds of years of intense land clearing and slash and burn agriculture have left this forest type critically endangered and fragmented. Extensive research and understanding is required to develop restoration methodologies and economically productive and regenerative land-uses. The Reserva Ecologica Panamaes is a 507 hectare mosaic of conservation forest, reforestation projects, regenerative agriculture and eco-tourism accommodations bounded by 4 kilometers of coastline on the Azuero Peninsula. The Reserva is an applied research center hosting university collaborations and research programs with a commitment to long-term monitoring and adaptive management. The Reserva aspires to become a globally relevant model of ecological restoration aimed at biodiversity conservation, climate change resiliency and economic productivity.

The Reserva’s collaborative research agenda address three primary areas: conservation biology, economic modeling, and social policy. Specifically these programs include: restoration ecology, agroforestry and plantation forestry, turtle conservation, marine life monitoring and watershed management, conservation and productive land-uses, carbon credits and market development, and youth environmental education.