REGENERATIVE INITIATIVES
WILD FOOD AND MEDICINAL FOREST
We’re replanting the native tropical dry forest by layering fruit and medicinal species to create food forests that feed people and restore habitat. Our 2024 planting with ProEco Azuero had a 95% survival rate.
As these trees grow, their root systems will help stabilize the soil, preventing erosion, especially in a landscape prone to degradation from cattle ranching and deforestation. Additionally they improve soil fertility and water retention along Quebrada Venao, a major waterway in our community.
VERMICULTURE SOIL SLEEVES
This innovative system uses linen sleeves filled with a living soil blend produced through vermiculture and clean, local soil. The sleeves are placed in trays and generate significant food output with controlled harvesting cycles, allowing Canopy to provide high-nutrient dense food consistently and predictably for its residents. The entire system is above ground, making harvesting easier and keeping crops away from pests and contaminated soil.
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IN-GROUND GREENHOUSES
The greenhouse system allows us to grow food year-round in the soil we have worked so hard to restore. Using wood chips and organic waste, the greenhouses act as an alchemizing waste-to-energy system that produces vegetables best grown in the ground while retaining moisture and protecting the system from unwanted consumers.
SYNTROPIC AGROFORESTRY PLOT
Agroforestry plots wind along Quebrada Venado, leveraging the watersheds moist soil and creating beatiful pathways for residents to walk between the quebrada and these unique food systems. The root systems from the plots help prevent soil erosion and improve water quality.
BIO WASTE SOIL PRODUCTION
Biowaste of cuttings and plant life from projects around Playa Venao are accepted on site and used to create nutrient-rich soil for our food systems.
The system builds organic matter, improves water retention, and supports microbial life. This is crucial in a tropical dry-forest climate where topsoil is highly vulnerable due to seasonal weather changes. By diverting green waste from burning or landfill and reducing the need for imported soil and fertilizers, we turn cleanup into regeneration. The payoff is faster establishment for young trees, cooler soils through the dry season, and a landscape that grows healthier year after year.
BIODIVERSITY
MONITORING
We’ve built a network of ground and aerial sensors, camera traps, and weather stations to deliver real-time data on wildlife, microclimates, and ecosystem health. This data will be foundational to our master planning process, and also allows us to monitor our impact to the land and ensure we are delivering on our mission to improve the life on the land as we develop.
We are utilizing the Wallacea Trust Biodiversity monitoring methodology to measure our impact, and are excited to be one of the first developments globally to generate and sell biodiversity credits using this innovative program.
Nothing like this network exists in Panama, and the data we collect will allow us to make cutting-edge design decisions that maximize human and natural health and enjoyment.
QUEBRADA RESTORATION
Our primary watershed is Quebrada Venado. We have invested in the land surrounding this watershed to bring seasonal streams back to health by restoring how water moves, how banks hold, and how life returns.
We reopen natural flow paths, gently regrade and stabilize eroding banks with native riparian plantings, and add stone features that slow water, trap sediment, and create pools for habitat. Just as important, our hillside reforestation feeds the watershed: deeper roots and leaf litter increase infiltration, reduce runoff and erosion, cool the soil, and extend base flows later into the dry season.
MONKEY BRIDGES
Canopy crossings provide a safe path in high traffic areas for monkeys and other arboreal wildlife. Three species of primate call Canopy their home: the Azuero Howler, Azuero Spider, and White Faced Capuchin.
While we work to reforest a peninsula spanning biological corridor for them, local development often fragments existing pathways and forces monkeys to attempt dangerous ground crossings. Our monkey bridges help mitigate this by reconnecting their treetop routes, allowing the monkeys to move freely and safely through the forest.
