The Healthy Parks Healthy People movement is spreading with the first annual Healthy Parks Healthy People event held in Panama early this year.

The Metropolitan Natural Park in Panama, established in 1985, is a protected area that acts as the “Lung of Panama City”. Just over, 232 ha the park is administered by a Board of Trustees as a nonprofit NGO, composed of representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organisations.

This protected area has an exuberant biodiversity with 284 species of flora, 374 species of animals, 275 species of birds (including migratory birds), and is connected with Camino de Cruces and Soberania national parks, forming a natural biological corridor.

During the year the Park carries out different activities including: commemorating the anniversary of the development of the Park; organising conferences with various topics; a day of general cleaning of the perimeter of the Park; and celebrating International Earth Day which involves an outdoor family fair to raise funds that are invested in environmental education programs for children from areas of social risk and low resources.

The Park also handles a reforestation program, planting native species of trees from June to September, and a program to rehabilitate injured wildlife and release them back into their native habitat.

This year the Park took on the idea of coordinating an activity related to preventive healthcare, using the model of other countries that have organised this type of fair. This activity, named “Healthy Park, Healthy People was celebrated in February, for the first time at a Mesoamerican level. The purpose of this activity was to encourage the general audience to improve their quality of life, sharing free lectures on various topics about how to maintain a proper nutrition, develop a regular exercise program and the prevention of diseases, many which are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

Panama has a population of around 3,787,522 inhabitants. According to Health Department statistics the main causes of death are cancer and cardiovascular diseases, so improving health through contact with nature is something we are very interested in.

Next year on 1 February 2020, the Metropolitan Natural Park will again celebrate “Healthy Park, Healthy People”. This activity will be free of charge open to everyone enjoy a family day in the Park and obtain more information and new ideas that may contribute to a better quality of life.

Healthy Park Healthy People event in Metropolitan Natural Park, Panama