According to a statement from the Ministry of the Environment, the award for outstanding conservation work in the Punta Patino Private Nature Reserve in Darien province was received during the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

This recognition, which included 400 nominees from 56 countries, was given to the performance of a small team of four forest rangers, responsible for protecting 30,000 hectares of forests and wetlands, including 4,000 hectares of mangroves recognized as a Ramsar Site in the Gulf of San Miguel, the report stated.

Punta Patino is considered the largest private nature reserve in Panama and a crucial haven for biodiversity.

According to Yolani Holmes, project coordinator and coordinator of the Ancon private reserve network, park rangers patrol on land and water, despite limited resources to protect the vast area, in order to reduce logging and hunting.

“We work to monitor endangered species such as the jaguar, the harpy eagle, and the hawksbill turtle. Punta Patino demonstrates the great biodiversity of Darién and Panama’s role in the conservation of species around the world,” she emphasized.

The award includes resources for equipment, training, and operational strengthening, thus supporting the pioneering private nature reserve model.

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