Panama (PNE) Program Links - 1 4265
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Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212
TTY:
802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3296
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
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Panama: Development and Conservation
Educational Excursions
The Panama program includes educational excursions that are designed to complement classroom study and other field-based activities. These excursions enhance students’ understanding of the region by allowing them to observe first-hand the conservation and development efforts in Panama, and to apply theoretical concepts introduced in the classroom.
Bocas del Toro
One of the highlights of the program occurs during a two-week excursion to the Bocas del Toro archipelago in western Panama, an area often compared to Ecuador’s famed Galapagos Islands. Students gain a deep appreciation for Panama’s extensive biodiversity, and a richer understanding of conservation-related issues within the region, through encounters with the zoological wonders that abound on this sparsely populated island chain. Bocas del Toro provides the nesting ground for four endangered species of sea turtles, and for the red-billed tropicbird, one of more than 350 bird species found within the region. Over the course of their visit, students encounter a cross-section of the area’s diverse wildlife, including sloths, dolphins, manatees, monkeys, caimans, poison dart frogs, and numerous tropical fish.
As part of the Bocas del Toro experience, students have the opportunity to contribute to research projects sponsored by organizations working in the region, including the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Conservation International. Examples of past projects with which students have been involved include:
- Identifying marine life while snorkeling among coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangrove forests
- Compiling a census of poison dart frog populations in the rainforest
- Conducting an inventory of plant and invertebrate biodiversity in island forest environments
- Harvesting cacao beans on a farm that employs organic, sustainable agricultural practices
- Interviewing banana plantation workers to gain an understanding of the influence of the Chiquita Corporation on the region’s agriculture and economy
- Spending time with a forest-dwelling indigenous community while visiting an
experimental ecotourist lodge located in Parque Internacional La Amistad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
In addition to the Bocas del Toro excursion, students also visit the Baru Volcano on the Pacific side of the country, where they hike the Quetzal Trail, known for its endangered cloud forest, and study the varied wildlife of the Panamanian highlands.