Panama City, October 27, 2025 — Rainforest Trust announced today a contribution of $3 million to strengthen nature conservation in Panama by reinforcing private conservation areas, expanding existing protected areas, and creating new protected areas with the participation and consensus of communities, environmental groups, and key private sector stakeholders.

This initiative will be developed nationwide and will be aligned with the conservation and community development strategy of the Panamá Natural Fund promoted by MiAMBIENTE under the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model to ensure the conservation, effective management, and long-term permanence of the country’s 123 protected areas.

ANCON, in its role as an associated organization, emphasized that the contributions from Rainforest Trust will enable the development of projects aimed at improving the protection and functioning of the National System of Protected Areas, prioritizing actions in ecological connectivity, research, and the development of tools to strengthen the management of these protected areas.

“The Panamá Natural Fund, announced by President José Raúl Mulino just a few sessions ago before the United Nations, will be established as a permanent trust to guarantee the long-term conservation of our natural resources. The $3 million contribution announced by Rainforest Trust is a decisive first step toward achieving this objective,” indicated Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro.

“The alliance between the State, civil society, and international allies like Rainforest Trust demonstrates that effective conservation requires collaborative work,” noted Adrián Benedetti, Executive Director of ANCON. “From ANCON, we reaffirm our commitment to contribute science, technical management, and territorial coordination so that these resources translate into concrete results for nature and the communities that depend on it.”

“Rainforest Trust is pleased to support Panama’s conservation priorities in collaboration with our local partners,” said James Lewis, Vice President of Conservation at Rainforest Trust. “This initiative reflects the country’s strong commitment to protecting its natural heritage while supporting local communities. We are honored to contribute to these national efforts to expand and strengthen protected areas and ensure lasting benefits for both people and nature.”

With this contribution, Panama consolidates its position as a regional leader in conservation and the environment, fulfilling our commitment to the objectives of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 2022, promoting actions that ensure ecological integrity and the permanence of essential ecosystem services.

The strategic alliance between MiAMBIENTE, ANCON, and Rainforest Trust reflects a shared vision: to conserve the country’s natural heritage, strengthen climate resilience, and promote sustainable solutions for national development.

Editor’s Notes:

About Rainforest Trust

Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has partnered with allies to safeguard endangered tropical habitats and threatened species, helping to establish protected and conserved areas in collaboration with indigenous and local organizations and communities. To date, Rainforest Trust has helped protect more than 23 million hectares of vital habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. Rainforest Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies on the generous support of the public to successfully implement its important conservation actions. The organization is proud to have earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Learn more about Rainforest Trust’s work by visiting RainforestTrust.org, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

ANCON

The National Association for Nature Conservation (ANCON) is a Panamanian non-governmental organization founded in 1985 and a pioneer in the protection and restoration of nature, promoting a sustainable development model in natural, rural, and urban areas that benefits present and future generations. Through the protection of Panama’s extraordinary biodiversity, ANCON tirelessly promotes strategic projects and initiatives that foster the social, economic, environmental, and cultural development of communities, including, as a cross-cutting axis, transformative environmental education. It has also contributed decisively to the formulation and implementation of groundbreaking environmental policies in the country for more than four decades.

For more information, contact: Brynn Garner, brynn.garner@rainforesttrust.org