ORCHIDS OF COIBA NATIONAL PARK, PANAMA

Coiba Archipelago, located in the Gulf of Chiriqui, south-west of the Republic of Panama, on the Pacific coast, was declared a National Park in December 1991 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005.

 

Coiba National Park with its 2701 km2, is one of the jewels of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor. It connects the island ecosystems of Central America (Coco Island National Park in Costa Rica) and South America (Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve in Ecuador; Malpelo Flora and Fauna Santuary  in Colombia and  Gongora National Park in Colombia).

 

Its forests are home to over 1000 plant species. These include the orchid family, with more than 60 species, one of the vascular plant families most diversified in the Neotropics and the widest in Panama.

 

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