Panama Canal West Bank (19310)
Panama, Central America
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Ribera Oeste del Canal de Panamá
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.0167, Longitude: -79.6667
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 10 to 236
Area of KBA (km2): 175.79609
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This site includes the area of the former U.S.-administered Canal Zone west of the Panama Canal and south of Lake Gatún. Most of this area was formerly included in the U.S. military bases and training areas of Howard Air Force Base, Fort Kobbe, Rodman Naval Station, and the Empire and Balboa West Ranges. The terrain in most of the area is broken, with the highest point on Cerro Balboa (236 m) opposite the town of Gamboa. The area is divided by the Arraijan Highway between Panama City and its suburbs to the west, and the southern part is occupied by the airfield and housing of the former U.S. Howard Air Force Base. In the south it borders the urban areas of Arraijan, La Polvareda, and Veracruz, and in the north the town of Nuevo Emperador and rural areas devoted to cattle and subsistence agriculture.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The area is an important bottleneck site for migratory raptors. The maximum count in 2004 recorded 1,259,957 Turkey Vultures, 847,475 Broad-winged Hawks, and 847,475 Swainson’s Hawk. These species probably use the area as an overnight roosting site. The site is probably a bottleneck site for other species for which numerical data is lacking. Several nationally threatened species occur. Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals recorded or probably occurring include Water Opossum, Central American Woolly Opossum, Silky Anteater, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Western Night-Monkey, Panamanian Spiny Pocket-Mouse, Capybara, Olingo, Neotropical River Otter, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi, and West Indian Manatee. The reptiles and amphibians have not been surveyed in detail but many of the species found in Barro Colorado Nature Monument and Soberanía National Park undoubtedly occur. American Crocodile is found in the area.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The area includes semideciduous lowland forest, mostly less than 100 years old, although some patches of older forest are found in the area of Cerro Balboa. There are small areas of mangroves and wetlands along the coast. There are residential areas, an airfield, petroleum storage facilities, and other infrastructure in the areas of former US bases at Howard, Kobbe, and Rodman.
Land use: nature conservation and research | urban/industrial/transport | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Forest | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Some 2,200 ha of forest, mostly highly disturbed, has been zoned for urban use or other development. Approximately 5,650 ha have been zoned for agroforestry or forest plantations, of which 3,750 is presently forested. A highway has recently been constructed through the area connecting to the new Centennial Bridge over the Panama Canal. Poaching is a serious problem. Due to its proximity to Panama City the area has considerable potential for eco-tourism, but access to most of it is currently severely restricted by ARI.
Additional information
References: Angehr, George R. 2003. Directorio de areas importantes para aves en Panama. Directory of important bird areas in Panama. Panama: Sociedad Audubon de Panama.