Panama has an exceptionally rich flora due to strong climatic gradients and its unique position as a corridor between Central and South America. The Panama ICBG has chosen collection sites that represent a diversity of habitats and floristic elements. Most of the flowering plant diversity is in the humid and low-land rainforests, so it is here that much of the collection efforts has been concentrated.

The sites chosen for collection are distributed from eastern to western Panama to ensure collections of both Central and South America species, from sea level to high altitudes to cover lowlands to cloud forests as well as from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts to sample forests across a large rainfall gradient. All sites are in National Parks or protected areas.

Global Biodiversity Map, link to University of Hamburg, Faculty of Biology (© W.C.Barthlott 1996,1999)

Sea Surface Temperature Map - Pacific Ocean, Panama
Glynn PW and JL Maté. 1997. Field guide to the Pacific coral reefs of Panama.

Selected collection sites :

Barro Colorado Nature Monument

Soberania National Park

Altos de Campana National Park

Chagres National Park and Forest Reserve

Volcan Baru National Park

La Amistad International Park

Fortuna Forest Reserve

General Omar T. Herrera National Park

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