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THE TROPICAL FOREST ECOLOGY OF THREE WATERSHEDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA Contract Number 525-0191-C-00-1091-00 Project No. 525-0191 Project Title: Technical Assistance to RENARE PREPARED FOR: RENARE/USAID 525-T-049 PREPARED BY: TROPICAL SCIENCE CENTER SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA JANUARY 1983 EXPERIENCE, INCORPORATED MINNEAPOLIS. MINNESOTA 55402 53 The English language version of this report is a translation from the original in Spanish, Translated by Lucinda Tosi and .Daniella Parre. San Jos-, Costa Rica. CONTENTS PAGE C&APTER I INTROD'UCTION .. .. ........................ .. .. 1 Objectives and scope of the study....................... 1 Responsabilities of the personnel that participated in the proyect ..................... ......... 7 Homologous personnel from RENARE ............ , ........ 9 Distr.ibution of the Consultants' time and chronology of act:ivities ....... 1.,............... 0 Facilities and limitations in the completion of the study ............................. 21 CHAPTER II REVISION OF LITERATURE AND PREVIOUS STUDIES ................ 31 Ecological studies ... ......... ....... 31 Soils and land use capability ... *................,..,,. 33 Specific studies ........... ,,. .... ,... 36 1* CATAPAN ....... ,....,..,*..... .... ......... 37 2. Rlo Caldera ...... ......... .,,.,......... 39 3, La Villa River ,...,............................ 54 4. The ChiriquT Highlands: Soil erosion ...... ........ 63 5, Canal Watershed ...... ,..,......... ... ,., ...... 67 CHAPTER III MET13ODOLOGY USED .......... .........* ...... ,.......... o, 76 A, Life zones .. ,. ., ........ ..o............ 76 B. Methodology and system used in mapping major rural land use capability ..................... ,. 79 CHAPTER 17 RE:S ULTS ...................................... 90 A. General description of the bioclimatic conditions ... 90 1. Rainfall ............ ............ ... .. 0.0..... 90 PAGE 2. Temperature and bi otemperature ................ 91 B. Life zones identified in each watershed ............. 92 1. Panama Canal Watershed .......................... 92 General characteristics ......................... 92 a) Tropical Moist Forest ....................... 102 b). Tropical Wet Forest ....................... ,. 105 c) Premontane Wet Forest ....................... 106 d) Premontane Rain Forest ..................... 108 2. Rio La Villa Watershed ............. 0p............ 109 General characteristics ......................... 109 a) Dry Tropical Forest ......................... 113 b) Tropical Moist Forest ....................... 114 c) Premontane Dry Forest ....................... 115 d) Premontane Moist Forest ....... ,,..,......... 117 e) Premontane Wet Forest .............. ,...... 118 f) Premontane Rain Forest ............... ,..... 119 3. RPo Caldera Watershed .......... .. ,,..,....,.... 120 a) Tropical Wet Forest , 131 bJ Tropical Premontane Wet Forest ... ,........ 132 c) Tropical Lower Montane Wet Forest .... ...... 133 d) Tropical Lower Montane Rain Forest .......... 134 e) Tropical Montane Rain Forest ......... 1,...... 35 C. Major Land Use Capability ... ,...................... 136 1. Clean-tilled crops .... .... .... ............... 136 2. Grazing ,.9 .. ..a.... q e, t *.... .,aV*v .9.. ,..9, 137 3,. Permanent crops . ....... ,.,. .............. ,, .. 137 4. Permanent tree crops ................... ,..,.,... 138 5. Production forestry ....... .,. ..... , .,., ..... 139 6. Protection . .. .. ,.,, .. .. ... ., 140 CHAPTER V APPENI)IXES ,....,,,.,, .., ,,. ,,, ..,, .., ... .,.,, . 1.42 Appendix 1. 2. 3. la. 2a. 3a.. - List of meteoroiogical stations (Rainfall Record) - List of Meteorological stations (Temperature Record) for the watersheds of Canal, La Villa, and Caldera respectively. Appendix 4 CATAPAN units with equivalent capability of major use by life zones and under traditional (T) and artisan (A) technological systems for each of the watersheds. Appendix 5 Information on soil sample sites (Description of profiles) Appendix 6 List of plant species identified in the study areas Appendix 7 Field data of each of the study plots. CHAPTER VI BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNEXES Annex 1, 2, and 3: Ecological Map Life Zone Canal Watershed (1:100,000), RTo La Villa and Caldera (1:50,000), respectively Annex 1.1, 2.2, and 3: Nap of Major Land Use Capability Canal Watershed (1:100,000), RIo La Villa and Caldera (1:50,000), respectively Annex 4: Field Data of Parcelas Studied (rough Draft) iii .CAPITULO I INTRODUCTION I. INTRODUCTION The consultancy in "Ecology of the Moist Tropics" is part of the project denominated "Hydrographic Watershed Management, Panama", carried out under a contract between the government of Panama, through its Ge neral Direction of Renewable Natural Resources (RENARE), and the U. S. Government, through the Agency for International Development (AID). The watersheds chosen for the project were: the watersheds of Ga tun Lake (the Panama Canal) and of the Rilers La Villa and Caldera. This project was assigned to the North American consulting firm, Experience Inc., whiLI subcontracted the pertinent parts to the con sultancy in Ecology o the Moist Tropics with the Tropical Science Cen ter, in San Jose, Costa Rica. To undertake this consultancy of 12-man months, the Tropical Science Center assigned the following individuals to the project: Dr. Joseph A. Tosi, Jr. Ing. For. Leon Isacc Gonzalez P. Ing. For. Vicente Watson C. Ing. ?or. C'sar Perez Figueroa Ing. For. Rafael Angel Bolafios M. Objectives and scope of the study In the RENARE/U.S.A.I.D./Experience, Inc. prime contract, the fo llowing general objectives are specified: a) To strengthen the technical arid administrative capabilities of RENARE; _J)) To increase comprehension of the importance of the appropiate administration and conservation of Panoma's renewable natural resources; 3 c) To establish programs for the appropriate use and preservation of the watersheds of the Panama Canal and La Villa and Caldera Rivers, which include the participation of each area's population in the integral development of that area. The subcontract for the consultancy in Ecology of the Moist Tropics has the following terms of reference: a) To delineate and adjust the ecological life zones of the water sheds of the Panama Canal and the La Villa and Caldera Rivers. b) To prepare training programs in tropical ecology, in order to improve the capabilities of Panamanian professionil personnel. c) To identify typical ecosystems in each of the watersheds of the project. d) To cooperate in the selection of forest species to be used in the watershed areas of the Panama Canal and the La Villa and Caldera Rivers; e) To recommend and establish specific measures for the maintenance of the ecosystems in their unaltered natural state and for the recovery of those already altered. f) To develope norms and laws to govern all agricultural, urban, sports, etc. activities in the different watersheds of the project, on land as well as in lakes and rivers. In agreement with RENARE and in coordination with the other consul tants of the Project, the terms of reference were adjusted and harmonized and the scope of this ecological study Uas set. In this way, plans were made to undertake the work in the time contracted for, given the facilities and means available. The work finally consisted of: 4 a) The identification of the life zones, according to Holdridge's ecological classification (1947, 1967, 1978) in the three watersheds of the Project on a scale of 1:50,000. The final draft of the life zone maps was at a scale of 1:100,000 for the watershed of the Panama Canal and at 1:50,000 for the other two watersheds. b) The development of a map of rural land use capability for each of the three watersheds, according to Tosi's system (1972, 1981), at a scale of 1:100,000 for watershed of the Panama Canal and at a scale of 1:50,000 for the other watersheds. c) The identification of typical ecosystems, through a description for each life zone, of the most representative associations, or through a more specific identification of some of them from detailed plant and soil studies in selected areas covered by natural vegetation in the watershed of the Panama Canal. d) The training of RENARE's personnel, according to the selection made by the General Director or by other RENARE officials. The life zones constitute the basic units for determining potential- rural land use and for identifying, locating, and describing the natural ecosystems. In like manner, they can be considered as a base for re commending and elaborating the regulations stipulated in the terms of reference. They also may be useful, in the same way, for recommending and establishing specific rules for keeping specific ecosystems in their unaltered natural state and for the recovery of those ecosystems that have already been altered, as indicated by the aforementioned terms. The identification of those ecosystems which should be retained in or restored to original natural vegetation requires application of a classification of land use capability based upon sustainable produccive capability. Such a classification may indicate need to change land use, 5 in which case such a change is recommended unless zones of protected na tural habitat or national parks have already been established as state policy, with all the goals and restrictions implied by those parks. In such a case, it follows that the use of these protected or national park areas and the maintenance of the natural vegetation should prevail over any other use determined by Tosi's classification