The Mapa Corredores natura-cultura is a living, participatory map that explores ecological connectivity in Panama. It’s a collaboration between Almanaque Azul and Estudio Nuboso. It highlights key areas of the country where forest preservation is essential to ensure the free movement of species while identifying regions where deforestation has disrupted these flows and where restoration is needed. More than a static cartography, this project invites us to think of the territory as a constantly evolving network, where nature and human action intertwine to restore and protect the country’s ecological corridors.
All living things move: animals, birds, insects, plants and humans. Water, air and the earth itself also move. This movement is essential for life, to feed, reproduce and evolve; it is what allows the diversity of living beings, nature to regenerate and become stronger in the face of change. In this context, ecological connectivity becomes key, as it determines how easy or difficult it is for living beings to move between their living spaces.
Natural corridors are arteries of life that facilitate movement and communication. This map expands Almanaque Azul’s map of natural corridors in Panama by integrating a layer of regenerative human action to explore the idea of nature-culture corridors of planetary solidarity. What it reveals is that there are many, many communities in Panama working together to care for and restore the conditions that enable life on Earth.
We are organized around culture, conservation and territorial defense, restoration or scientific research, in community-based organizations, water boards, collectives and cultural spaces. This visualization illustrates the challenges and also offers hope. It is a reminder that by coming together in collective action we can weave a web of mutual support on a global scale. In an ever-changing world, these connections are needed more than ever.