Current view: Text account
Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
Portobelo National Park extends from the coast between Buenaventura and San Cristobal Bays inland to the mountains forming the northern rim of the Chagres River watershed. It includes the headwaters of the Boquerón, Gatún, and Piedras Rivers on its southern side and the Cascajal on the north. The highest pont is Cerro Bruja (979 m). The park is contiguous with Chagres National Park on its inland side. The coastal area is easily accessible by road, but higher elevations are more difficult to reach and poorly known ornithologically. The impressive Spanish colonial forts and other ruins surrounding Portobelo town are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The globally threatened endemic Speckled Antshrike occurs on Cerro Bruja, and the globally near-threatened Great Curassow, Harpy Eagle and Blue-and-gold Tanager are also found. The globally near threatened Plumbeous Hawk and Crested Eagle also certainly occur although specific records are lacking. The site contains 6 of 15 species (40%) of the Darién Lowlands EBA, plus a few species of the Darién Highlands EBA and several nationally threatened species.
Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded or probably present include Central American Wooly Opossum, Giant Anteater, Silky Anteater, Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Geoffroy's Tamarin, Western Night Monkey, Central American Spider Monkey, Capybara, Crab-eating Raccoon, Bush Dog, Olingo, Neotropical River Otter, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi, Jaguar and Baird's Tapir. Slaty Mouse Opossum is likely to occur. Reptiles and amphibians include the frogs Atelopus limosus, Colosthetus flotator, Minyobates minutus, Eleutherodactylus raniformis and E. puntariolus, the salamander Bolitoglossa schizodactyla, the lizards Sphaerodactylus lineolatus, Leposoma southi and Anolis poecilopus, and the snake Rhadinaea sargenti (Ibáñez 1997).
The park contains lowland evergreen and submontane forest. There are small areas of mangroves along the coast, which also contains fringing coral reefs. The southern part of the park is within the Panama Canal watershed. Extensive areas near the coast have been deforested for cattle and subsistence agriculture. The town of Portobelo is within the park. Coastal areas are popular for snorkeling and scuba diving.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Approximately 6,000 people, mostly afrocolonials and latinos, live within the park, primarily near the coast. Nearly all of this area below 300 m has been deforested for cattle and agriculture (11,200 ha, 46% of the park.). Continuing deforestation and illegal hunting are serious problems. The fact that much of the park provides water for operation of the Panama Canal provides an economic incentive to conserve it.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The southern part of the park is within the Panama Canal watershed, there is a strong economic incentive to protect this area from deforestation. The area has considerable tourist potential due to its historic sites and reefs, and there are a number of hotels along the coast. However, the forested areas of the park are not easily accessible and there are no developed trails.
Portobelo National Park, established in 1976, was one of Panama's first national parks. Five park guards are assigned to it.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Portobelo National Park (Panama). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/portobelo-national-park-iba-panama on 23/12/2024.
