Chagres National Park
Chagres National Park is a nature park and protected area created in 1986 located in the Panamá and Colón provinces, in the Eastern sector of the Panama Canal with a total surface area of.
The park extends across the Chagres Highlands, a group of low mountains drained by the headwaters of the Chagres River. The southern portion of the highlands is known as the Serranía Piedras-Pacora, and forms a portion of the Continental Divide of the Americas.
The park adjoins Portobelo National Park on the northwest, and Narganá Wilderness Area on the east.
Environment
The park contains tropical rain forests and a set of rivers which provide sufficient water to guarantee the operation of the Gatun Lake, main lake of the Panama Canal: the Chagres River and the Gatun River. The highest point of the park is Cerro Jefe, at 1,007 m above sea level. It is considered a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance. It has been designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.The frog Ectopoglossus isthminus is nearly endemic to the national park.
Panama Canal Watershed
The park was created in 1985, with the aim of preserving the natural forest that composes it- to produce water in amount and quality sufficient to guarantee the normal operation of the Panama Canal
- to supply potable water for the cities of Panama, Colon and la Chorrera,
- and the generation of electricity for the cities of Panama and Colon.