THE CHOCO-DARIEN REGION OF PANAMA IS ONE OF THE RICHEST LOWLAND FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN THE AMERICAS AND SUPPORTS THE LARGEST KNOWN POPULATION OF HARPY EAGLES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE

Funds under this award are to be used to strengthen incentives for conservation by engaging four indigenous Ember-Wounaan communities in alternative livelihoods in and adjacent to Darin National Park.

Specific activities include: (1) conducting a public campaign to build a conservation constituency in the region; (2) reforestation with native trees, including commercially valuable trees and shade-grown coffee, as an alternative to poaching and deforestation; (3) strengthening of local organizations to increase capacity to manage incentive agreements; (4) training community members in agroforestry, wildlife monitoring, and forest patrolling; (5) developing land use co-management plans in two indigenous communities that include no-take zones around harpy eagle nesting sites and securing their ratification from the Ministry of Environment; and (6) building a coalition of national and international partners to scale up conservation efforts across the Darien region.