Panama's Indigenous Communities Test New Conservation Funding Model

In eastern Panama, four Indigenous communities are working together to promote nature-based economic alternatives for conservation. The project, which covers 18,000 hectares of tropical forest, aims to make conservation efforts economically viable. In one community, Puerto Lara, a camera captured a jaguar crossing a semi-abandoned path, revealing the area's rich biodiversity. Community members, including Samuel Cheucarama, review photos taken by cameras installed in the village every two weeks. Their work is part of a wider effort to address deforestation caused by illegal logging and agricultural expansion, which has put communities under pressure with little support from local and national authorities.