Protecting Tropical Rainforests with Communities in Panama

Rainforests are being destroyed, with outsized global consequences for climate, pandemics, and Indigenous rights. We cannot afford to lose our planet’s most essential, most cost-effective defenses. That’s why, in 2024, HIH joined a partner in Panama launching a three-year program, Boosting Indigenous Nature-Based Business Models, funded by IDB Labs.

Through Indigenous leadership, the project connects Indigenous communities with sustainable economic opportunities that align with their cultural values and conservation efforts, highlighting the value of Indigenous-managed ecosystems in global markets while protecting the rainforest from deforestation.

The initiative merges Indigenous knowledge with scientific biodiversity and ecological monitoring, specifically a robust Monitoring, Research, and Verification (MRV) system, integrating biodiversity, carbon, and ecological monitoring.

Read on to learn more about the project and how Health In Harmony will collaborate with core partners Savimbo, WildMon, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and If Not Us Then Who.

Why Panama

Covering over 40% of Panama, the Panamanian rainforest is rich in biodiversity, and home to over 10,000 species of plants. Two-thirds of this forest is located in Indigenous Peoples’ territories. This rainforest also plays a key role in CO2 absorption and water cycling; the Panama Canal relies on freshwater from rainfall and the adjoining rainforests, which store water in the soil.

How the collaboration will work

The project is built on core pillars with a cross-cutting gender and youth inclusion strategy:

Raising awareness and strengthening governance: long-term economic planning

Boosting Indigenous Nature-Based Business Models focuses on raising awareness and strengthening governance by facilitating participatory processes that help communities to identify their goals and explore sustainable economic opportunities, using the FSC’s Economic Viability Tool.

A facilitating process was conducted where the Economic Viability Tool could be implemented. Community members engaged in a participatory diagnostic process to design tailored economic plans, supporting their ongoing efforts to promote sustainable forest management and strengthen local economies.

The initiative has established a Community of Practice to exchange ideas and explore alternative income sources that align with Indigenous values, such as ecosystem services and conservation-driven market mechanisms, to ensure that economic development is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and practices while promoting long-term sustainability.

Innovative technology to monitor biodiversity

A key element of this project is the implementation of a biodiversity Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, led by Health in Harmony. After community approval through a rigorous Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (also known as FPIC) process, acoustic devices, and camera traps were installed in local forests. Initial data collected through eco-acoustic recording and camera trapping (automatic photography and audio recording of wildlife that is placed and managed by local community hunter experts) has revealed a rich diversity of wildlife, including key indicators such as jaguar tracks, highlighting the ecological significance of the area. The camera trapping has been carried out in partnership with Savimbo, including training the communities in using the equipment and data analysis.

Jaguar (P. Onca), Colombian white-throated capuchin (Cebus capucinus), and jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) footage by Savimbo.

Another valuable tool used in the project in partnership with Woodwell Climate Research Center is the Landscape Capital Index (LCI), a decade-long retrospective analysis based on over 40 geospatial datasets. The LCI helps identify priority areas for climate conservation, ecological restoration, and building community resilience, offering insights for sustainable environmental management.

Community-Thriving Narrative

The project also introduced training on the Community Thriving Narrative (CTN), an innovative, community-centered framework for measuring well-being and sustainability. Rooted in the cultural values, lived experiences, and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the CTN reimagines traditional evaluation methods by placing the power of defining and assessing well-being directly in the hands of communities.

Workshops organized under the CTN initiative fostered strong community engagement, with participants selecting representative teams for training in documenting cultural narratives and communication. Led by the partner organization If Not Us Then Who, these workshops included exercises in communication, global narratives, and participatory videography, enabling communities to define and share their well-being from their perspective.

The Outcome So Far

HIH and partners are now working with over 2,500 Indigenous members across four communities to protect nearly 20,000 hectares, in Tierra Colectiva Embera (Alto Playón), Tierra Colectiva Embera (Embera Puru and Arimae), Tierra Colectiva Wounaan (Puerto Lara).

Early findings reveal a baseline of a thriving biodiversity in Indigenous territories, setting the stage for further data collection on biodiversity and carbon metrics which will demonstrate the impact of investing in Indigenous communities.

The biodiversity baseline assessment identified 15 threatened species according to the IUCN Red List, including the Endangered brown-headed spider monkey and the Vulnerable mantled howler monkey. In addition, a list of several indicator species was found, such as jaguars, tapirs, and eagles. These Indigenous territories are also a refuge for 11 migratory species when in their migration patterns. Beyond biodiversity, Indigenous territories contribute significantly to carbon sequestration efforts projected to prevent the emission of an enormous amount of CO₂ to the atmosphere over five years, which would return four times the original investment in the project.

Throughout 2025, HIH will continue strengthening Indigenous-led conservation by fostering global awareness of its ecological and cultural value.

Looking Ahead

This project marks the beginning of a transformative journey, with Indigenous communities leading the way in creating sustainable livelihoods and preserving their cultural landscapes, based on economic plans and data aligned with their cosmovision. By valuing Indigenous knowledge and supporting their solutions and initiatives, we can create a future where both the planet and Indigenous communities thrive.