Chagres National Park

Chagres National Park is a nature park and protected area^[1] created in 1986 located in the Panamá and Colón provinces, in the Eastern sector of the Panama Canal with a total surface area of 129,000 ha (320,000 acres).^[2]

Chagres National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Chagres National Park (top center) within Panama
Location	Panamá Province, Panama
Coordinates	9.4°N 79.5°W / 9.4; -79.5
Area	129,000 hectares (320,000 acres)
Established	1985
Chagres National Park Foundation

The park extends across the Chagres Highlands, a group of low mountains drained by the headwaters of the Chagres River. The southern portion of the highlands is known as the Serranía Piedras-Pacora, and forms a portion of the Continental Divide of the Americas.^[3]

The park adjoins Portobelo National Park on the northwest, and Narganá Wilderness Area on the east.

Environment

The park contains tropical rain forests and a set of rivers which provide sufficient water to guarantee the operation of the Gatun Lake, main lake of the Panama Canal: the Chagres River^[2] and the Gatun River. The highest point of the park is Cerro Jefe, at 1,007 m above sea level. ^[4] It is considered a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance. ^[5] It has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.^[6]

The frog Ectopoglossus isthminus is nearly endemic to the national park.^[3]

Panama Canal Watershed

The park was created in 1985,^[7] with the aim of preserving the natural forest that composes it

• to produce water in amount and quality sufficient to guarantee the normal operation of the Panama Canal^[8][9]
• to supply potable water for the cities of Panama, Colon and la Chorrera,^[7]
• and the generation of electricity for the cities of Panama and Colon.^[10]