Why Panama Holds a Major Key to Our Biodiversity

Synopsis

Barro Colorado Island hosts the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, where scientists conduct research on tropical biodiversity. The island became a focal point for scientific study after the Panama Canal opened in 1904. Researchers began arriving to combat diseases and have since established a network of labs. Barro Colorado Island is recognized as one of the most studied rainforests in the world. In the 1920s, it was the site of the first behavioral study of army ants, and researchers estimated 30 million species on Earth, a figure later revised.