Nature conservation and community development converge at Gaia Ecoversity—The School of the Earth—an initiative that promotes sustainable tourism as a tool to protect biodiversity, strengthen local knowledge, and create new economic opportunities in Panama.
Tourism That Regenerates and Transforms Communities
Through its three strategic pillars—Regenerative Agriculture and Climate Action, Conservation, and Women’s Leadership—Gaia Ecoversity drives the “Ecotourism and Sustainable Communities” initiative. This cross-cutting project links ecological restoration, environmental education, and community participation with responsible tourism experiences.
Initiatives such as Permaculture for Life, Bird and Lepidoptera Conservation, Gaia Blue (From Forest to Ocean), Climate Action and Ecological Restoration, and Guardians of Gaia are part of a vision that seeks to turn the protection of natural heritage into opportunities for the people living in these regions.
Cerro Guacamaya: Nature Creating Opportunities
At the Cerro Guacamaya Water Reserve in Cocle, Gaia is developing environmental projects in collaboration with the communities of Cañaveral and Cermeño. This area—whose water resources help supply drinking water to 52 communities—offers an opportunity to integrate conservation with community-based rural tourism.
As a next step, the organization plans to train 25 local tour guides capable of interpreting and sharing the reserve’s natural wealth, reforestation processes, biodiversity, and regenerative initiatives. The goal is for local residents themselves to take the lead in creating experiences that value and protect their environment.
Birdwatching: Discovering Biodiversity
Birdwatching also plays a key role in this initiative. Through virtual training sessions and citizen science activities, Gaia builds the capacity of communities and tourism stakeholders interested in discovering the biodiversity of their local areas.
Participation in international events such as Global Big Day and October Big Day helps promote species recording, environmental education, and the potential of birdwatching as a way to diversify the country’s tourism offerings.
Mata Oscura: Conservation Turned into Experience
In 2026, Gaia Ecoversity supported the Sea Turtle Conservation, Cultural, and Ecotourism Fair in Mata Oscura, Veraguas—an event linked to the Fundación Agua y Tierra (Water and Earth Foundation) Turtle Route.
This experience serves as a benchmark for the potential of community-based rural tourism to integrate the protection of sea turtles and their ecosystems with local culture, gastronomy, and community participation. It is an approach where nature conservation also means preserving identity and strengthening opportunities for local communities.
Grassroots Leadership
Spearheading this vision is Ericka Arosemena, president and founder of Gaia Ecoversity—La Escuela de la Tierra (The School of the Earth)—and a specialist in community-based rural tourism, sustainable development, and environmental management.
Through her leadership, she champions models that recognize the unique characteristics of each territory and foster local participation in conservation and tourism development. Her initiative aims to progressively extend this vision to other regions of Panama, linking local knowledge, cultural identity, and environmental regeneration with new economic opportunities.
For Ericka Arosemena, tourism must be built from within the communities themselves, respecting their essence and strengthening their capacity to protect what belongs to them. This vision reaffirms the value of sustainable tourism, where the territory is not merely a destination to be discovered, but a living heritage that communities can conserve, share, and transform into opportunities for their future.
Photos courtesy: Gaia Ecoversity – Ericka Arosemena
