Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
Altos de Campana National Park, 50 km west of Panama City near the town of Capira, includes Cerros Campana (1,007 m), Trinidad (988 m), Peña Blanca (907 m), and Los Monos (893 m) and the headwaters of the Capira and Chame Rivers on the Pacific slope, and the Trinidad River, part of the Panama Canal watershed, on the Caribbean slope. The low point (220 m) is on the Trinidad River in the northwest. The park is noted for its remarkable steep rock formations. The park is easily accessible by road and well known ornithologically.
The site contains 4 of 11 species (36%) of the Central American Caribbean Slope. Orange-bellied Trogon, of the Costa Rica and Panama Highlands EBA also occurs. Black Guan has been recorded in the past but may now be extirpated. Several nationally threatened and biome-restricted species also occur.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded or probably present include Central American Woolly Opossum, Silky Anteater, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Panamanian Spiny Pocket-Mouse, Ocelot, and Jaguarundi. Reptiles and amphibians include the frogs and toads Atelopus varius, A. zeteki, Bufo coccifer, Minyobates minutus, Phyllomedusa lemur, Eleutherodactylus gollmeri, E. noblei, E. pardalis, E. punctariolus, and Rana cf. pipiens, the salamanders Bolitoglossa colonnea and B. schizodactyla, the lizards Leposoma southi and Anolis lionotus, and the snake Micrurus stewarti (Ibáñez 1997 and other literature).
The site contains ever-green lowland and submontane forest. Approximately 2,600 ha, or 54% of the park, has been deforested, including almost all of the area below 600 m. The area is inhabited by latinos and surrounding land uses include cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Approximately 2,600 ha, or 54% of the park, has been deforested, including almost all of the area below 600 m. The area has considerable potential for tourism due to its proximity to Panama City and popular beaches on the coast.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
None known.
Altos de Campana, established in 1966, was Panama’s first national park. Six park guards are assigned to it. There are several hiking trails and an interpretive nature trail as well as a visitor's cabin.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Altos de Campana National Park (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/altos-de-campana-national-park-iba-panama on 23/11/2024.
