GC Navigates Partnership with Panamanian Government to Implement EarthRanger for Anti-Poaching in National Parks
GC Executive Director Jeff Morgan meets with National Park rangers to oversee their training with the new EarthRanger technologies.
The National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) of Panama has adopted EarthRanger as a management and monitoring tool across its protected areas.
With the support of Global Conservation, through the Global Park Defense program, this technology has been introduced in national parks such as Darién, Coiba, and La Amistad, significantly strengthening control and surveillance efforts. Implementation has been supported by the donation of equipment—including mobile phones, computers, and Starlink systems—to ensure reliable connectivity between park rangers and protected area administrations.
In Panama, field technical assistance is led by Erick Gabarrete of the Foundation for Sustainable Conservation, Global Conservation’s local partner. After receiving training directly from the EarthRanger team, Gabarrete provides ongoing technical support to rangers and monitors events recorded within the established boundaries of each park.
Most recently, during the second training and capacity-building event organized by Global Conservation, under the leadership of David Bess and Jonathan García, the program reinforced training for the 18 rangers already serving in Darién National Park and initiated training for 26 newly appointed rangers. As a result, the park now has 44 rangers trained and equipped in the use of EarthRanger—a key step toward ensuring the effective protection of one of Panama’s most biodiverse regions.
"The work being done by Global Conservation in partnership with Panama’s government is crucial to protecting Panama's vast natural resources and incredible ecological biodiversity. The work being done across Panama to train rangers in patrol strategies, case creation and investigative techniques, will result in successfully protecting this unique part of the world from illicit operators who choose to profit illegally from Panama's vast natural resources."
-David Bess,
The implementation of the EarthRanger platform in Panama’s protected areas has followed three main stages:
Introduction to the application: This stage was coordinated with Daniel Zendejas, who delivered the first training course highlighting the advantages and functionalities of the tool.
Platform development: In collaboration with park directors and rangers, a database was developed to support field data collection. During this phase, Erick Gabarrete worked closely with Andrés Albarracín of EarthRanger to design the database and define both the core area and the complete polygon with its buffer zone.
Ranger training: Once the platform was ready, three practical training events were conducted in Darién National Park. These sessions included creating individual user accounts for each ranger and providing hands-on training in the use of the tool.
In addition to these training activities, the platform is reviewed daily to verify recorded events and identify any issues in its use. Observations are documented and shared as feedback with rangers, with the goal of continuously improving field operations and strengthening the effective use of the platform.
