Establish a community-driven Old-Growth Forest Observatory in full partnership with the Emberá people of the Balsa River to enhance knowledge of old-growth forests, protect biodiversity and improve the local economy.
Accompany the development of a local governance ensuring forest and species conservation, and cultural survival and food-security through capacity-building, empowering and innovative research driven methods.
Provide an intact forest baseline in the face of climate change
Indigenous Rights
Support the land titling process
Give visibility to the role of the Emberá as forest guardians
Traditional Knowledge
Support transmission of Emberá taxonomy
Compile information on Emberá history
Economic Development
Provide legitimate jobs
Open new options to youth and women
These objectives will be achieved by training and working with the six communities of the Tierras Colectivas of Balsa to quantify forest carbon stocks, document tree diversity dynamics over time and carry out inventories of birds, mammals, frogs and insects. The data collected under Bacurú Drõa,the Old-Growth Forest Observatory, will not only be of scientific importance, but will also provide a basis for management plans.
A 15-hectare permanent forest plot established following the Forest-GEO methodology forms the scientific core of Bacurú Drõa. Initial results from the permanent plot highlight the presence of a much higher tree diversity than elsewhere in Panama as well as numerous undescribed species.
A 15-hectare permanent forest plot established following the Forest-GEO methodology
Tropical forest ecology and conservation; Impacts of human disturbance on tropical forest ecosystems; Biodiversity monitoring; Secondary forest recovery; Species interactions.
Conservation biology and policy; Participatory forest biomass monitoring; Participatory visioning and scenario-based planning; Tropical ecology.
To ensure the long-term success of the project, we also propose fully engaging with the people of the Tierras Collectivas of Balsa by:
Empowerment of the Balsa communities to allow them to shape their own future;
Ensuring that the work of the Old Growth Forest Observatory includes women as well as men, youth as well as elders while technicians will be selected from each of the six communities by the traditional authorities.
Ensuring that the knowledge building from Bacurú Drõa considers at the same time and with equal importance traditional and scientific knowledge systems.
