Ecoregions of Panama

The Chocó-Darién moist forests, running from Panama's Darién Province down Colombia's Pacific coast, are among the wettest places on Earth and host an estimated 8,000-10,000 plant species, about a fifth of which are found nowhere else. They also contain the Darién Gap, where the Pan-American Highway breaks and where a migration route that carried over half a million people in 2023 has since gone nearly silent.

Nestled within the towering peaks of the Cordillera de Talamanca, a mountain range that straddles the border between Costa Rica and western Panama, lies the Costa Rican páramo ecoregion. This unique and ethereal landscape stands as a testament to the incredible diversity of Central America's natural wonders. This moist montane grassland and shrubland ecosystem is a world unto itself, where the boundaries between alpine tundra and cloud forest blur, creating a delicate and resilient tapestry of life.

Nestled within the rugged highlands of northwestern Costa Rica and western Panama, the Talamancan Montane Forests ecoregion is one of Central America's most intact and biologically diverse ecosystems. This discontinuous expanse of montane forests, cloaked in mist and draped across the region's towering mountain ranges, harbors a wealth of endemic species and serves as a vital sanctuary for a multitude of flora and fauna.