Conservation through Research Education and Action, is a non-profit organization, that offers educational and research opportunities to biodiversity rich rainforests of Panama.

Our core activity centers on the Cocobolo Nature Reserve, a 410-hectare tropical forest in the heart of a global biodiversity hotspot.

A Forest Bridge that Connects Two Great Continents

Cocobolo Nature Reserve sits at the narrowest point of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, where just 40 miles separate the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. This rare geography spans lowland rainforest along the Río Mamoní all the way up to cloud forest on the continental divide, making the reserve home to jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, crested curassows, and the critically endangered harlequin toad, which CREA researchers have monitored since 2009.

Research That Protects a Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Officially recognized by the Panamanian government as a protected natural area, Cocobolo Nature Reserve is where CREA’s field scientists and visiting researchers study everything from amphibian population health to forest regeneration. That data directly shapes how we manage and defend this fragile stretch of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor for the long term.

Study Abroad & Educational Travel in Panama

CREA welcomes schools and universities from around the world to the Cocobolo Biological Field Station for immersive, curriculum-based programs. Our academics work with educators to turn what’s taught in the classroom into a lived experience of rainforest conservation, giving students a real foundation in environmental responsibility and science.