Chagres

Declared in 1985, Chagres protects the catchment of the river of the same name, whose dam at Lake Alajuela supplies much of the fresh water needed to operate the locks of the Panama Canal, one of the few cases in the world where a national park directly protects the water infrastructure of one of the most important maritime trade routes on the planet. Emberá indigenous communities live within it, offering cultural trips along the river by traditional canoe.