La Amistad International Park is a World Heritage site shared by Panama and Costa Rica. It harbors the largest intact virgin rainforest in Central America and is home to more than 115 species of fish, 250 species of reptiles and amphibians, 215 species of mammals, and 600 species of birds, including the endangered harpy eagle and tapir. La Amistad's rivers contain unique diadromous aquatic fish and shrimp that must migrate between fresh- and saltwater to complete their life cycles. Indigenous Naso and Ngobe peoples depend upon the biodiversity of the area, including fish species living in the Changuinola and Teribe Rivers.
But urgent action by conservationists is needed. This incredible World Heritage site is facing serious threats to its survival. Four pending hydroelectric dams will forever alter the free-flowing rivers so important to the park's ecosystem and extirpate many diadromous species by acting as impassable barriers. The resulting flooding will displace human populations too, and armed conflict has occurred between government agents and indigenous peoples; the potential for future conflict is high. The park is further threatened by increasing human encroachment activities such as cattle ranching, and it faces a lack of effective law enforcement and inadequate management.
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