Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
great snorkeling and diving. On the mainland is the other sector of Panama's share of the
binational Parque Internacional La Amistad. Wekso, as this sector of the park is called, is
home to several different indigenous groups, pristine rainforest and abundant wildlife.
Near the border with Chiriquí Province, the Bosque Protector de Palo Seco contains sev-
eral hiking trails through lush cloud forest high in the Talamanca range.
Panama's crown jewel is the Parque Nacional Darién, which boasts 576,000 hectares
of wildlife-rich rainforest. The heart of this Unesco World Heritage Site is Cana, a
former mining valley that is now regarded as one of the best bird-watching spots in the
world. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, authorization was closed for visits to this
area. The Darién is also home to the Reserva Natural Punta Patiño, a 26,315- hectare
wildlife reserve on the southern shore of the Golfo de San Miguel. This private reserve is
one of the best places in the country to see the harpy eagle.
THE VALUE OF RAINFORESTS
Why should we start getting more serious about saving the rainforest? Even
though most of us don't encounter one in our daily lives, rainforests and their fu-
ture survival affect each and every one of us in more ways than we realize. Here's
why.
Carbon Sink Effect
Some of the most common media buzzwords these days are 'climate change' and
'global warming,' and particularly to what extent we are negatively impacting the
health and sustainability of the planet. As developing nations modernize, global
carbon emissions are on the rise, and evidence of the greenhouse effect can
already be felt across the planet.
One of the best defenses humans have against rising carbon dioxide levels is the
tropical rainforest. Specifically, tropical rainforests limit the greenhouse effect of
global warming by storing carbon and hence reducing the amount of carbon diox-
ide in the atmosphere. But our best defense against climate change is rapidly being
destroyed the world over. In a frightening example of the interconnectedness of hu-
man societies, the deforestation of Latin America rainforests is impacting global
ecosystems, such as the increasing desertification of the Sahel in Africa.
As a result of changing rainforest dynamics, specifically the decline of densely
wooded sub-canopy trees, the ability of tropical rainforests to act as a carbon sink
is in jeopardy. This reality, however frightening it may be, affects each and every
one of us.
