In the Panama context, energy consumption in the building sector is mostly related to the conditioning of indoor spaces for cooling and lighting. Different nature strategies can be mimic to strongly impact these two aspects in the building sector, such as the ones presented here. A comprehensive analysis regarding literature related to biomimicry-based approaches destined to improve buildings designs is presented here. This analysis is driven by the increasing energy regulations demands to meet future local goals and to propose a framework for applications in Panama. Such biomimicry-based approaches have been further analyzed and evaluated to propose the incorporation of organism-based design for three of the most climate types found in Panama. Consequently, a SWOT analysis helped realized the potential that biomimicry-based approaches might have in improving the odds of in meeting the local and global regulations demands. The need for multidisciplinary collaboration to accomplish biomimicry-based-designed buildings, brings an increment in the competitivity regarding more trained human-assets, widening the standard-construction-sector thinking. Finally, the analysis presented here can serve as the foundation for further technical assessment, via numerical and experimental means.

This work presents a remote sensing application to estimate the leaf area index (LAI) in two rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties (IDIAP 52-05 and IDIAP FL 137-11), as a proxy for crop performance. In-field, homogeneous spectroradiometric measurements (350–1050 nm) were carried in two campaigns (June–November 2017 and January–March 2018), on a private farm, TESKO, located in Juan Hombrón, Coclé Province, Panama. The spectral fingerprint of IDIAP 52-05 plants was collected in four dates (47, 67, 82 and 116 days after sowing), according to known phenological stages of rice plant growth. Moreover, true LAI or green leaf area was measured from representative plants and compared to LAI calculated from normalized PlanetScope multi-spectral satellite images (selected according to dates close to the in-field collection). Two distinct estimation models were used to establish the relationships of measured LAI and two vegetational spectral indices (NDVI and MTVI2). The results show that the MTVI2 based model has a slightly higher predictive ability of true LAI ($R^2$ = 0.92, RMSE = 2.20), than the NDVI model. Furthermore, the satellite images collected were corrected and satellite LAI was contrasted with true LAI, achieving in average 18% for Model 2 for MTVI2, with the NDVI (Model 1) corrected model having a smaller error around 13%. This work provides an important advance in precision agriculture, specifically in the monitoring of total crop growth via LAI for rice crops in the Republic of Panama.

This study focuses on the floristic diversity of the forest trees found at Cerro Pelado Tropical Hydrology Observatory in Gamboa, Colon, Panama. Field work for the quantitative inventory was carried out in November 2012. Data were collected by assessing the status of the forest in terms of tree species diversity and structure from one-hectare plot divided into twenty-five 20 m × 20 m quadrats. All tree species were identified, and their diameters at breast height (dbh) were measured. A total of 384 individuals with (dbh ≥ 10 cm) were counted, corresponding to 28 families, 41 genera, and 43 species of which Pera arborea, Oenocarpus mapora, Amaioua corymbosa, Vantanea depleta, and Matayba apetala were the species with the highest ecological weight, achieving 57.99% of the importance value index. Results were compared with plots from other forests of the Panama Canal watershed in terms of diversity and number of species per area and number of individuals. It was found that the habitat studied has low diversity, with very few species in the study area, even though some of them were very abundant.

The objective of this work is to perform a prospective analysis of the wavelengths that can be used to recognize a rice crop due to its phenological status and variety. For this purpose, field measurements of spectral signature in the 350 nm -1049 nm range were employed. The rice cultivars FCA 616FL and IDIAP 54-05 were used. The study site was located in the Juan Hombrón area in the Coclé province, Panama. A principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out, which resulted in the lengths 728.16, 677.89 and 785.48 nm let phenological differentiation within the cultivar FCA 616FL and IDIAP 54-05, the lengths 729.72, 814.58 and 666.81 nm let distinguish between crop varieties FCA 616FL and IDIAP 54-05 in vegetative phase.Keywords: Rice, reflectance, hyperspectral signature, phonological state.

This study deals with the estimation of the carbon associated to the Above Ground Biomass, in a permanent plot of measurement located in the Cerro Pelado Tropical Hydrology Observatory in Gamboa, Panama. The objective is to highlight the contribution made by one-hectare of this forest to the local Climate Change mitigation. We employed a relation to carbon storage and sequestration, based on the important species of the tree community with diameter at breast height equal to or greater than 10 cm. It was found an increase in the Above Ground Biomass at the plot, with values of: 193 Mg*ha-1, 218 Mg*ha-11 and 225 Mg*ha-1, for the 2008, 2012 and 2015 censuses, respectively. The net growth in Above Ground Biomass is eliminating approximately 7 to 8 Mg de CO2*ha-1year-1 from the atmosphere, which means that it is acting as a sink and sequestrator of CO2. In this habitat, it is recognizable the important contribution of the Pera arborea species in terms of sustaining carbon sequestration in the Above Ground Biomass.Keywords: Gamboa, Panama, Above Ground Biomass, Climate Change, CO2

Esta investigación analizó las percepciones de los docentes en la única universidad de la región centroamericana enfocada en el sector marítimo, Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP), sobre la calidad de la formación en Educación Climática, destacando diferencias significativas entre las disciplinas de Ciencias Naturales e Ingenierías. Aunque el 85% de los docentes afirman estar conscientes del Cambio Climático, los hallazgos muestran variaciones importantes en cómo se aborda el tema en cada área, lo que subraya la necesidad de estrategias pedagógicas adaptadas a sus contextos específicos. Por ejemplo, mientras en Ciencias Naturales se enfatiza la comprensión científica del fenómeno, en Ingenierías se percibe una falta de integración práctica en los programas formativos. A partir de estos resultados, se recomienda fortalecer la incorporación del Cambio Climático en los currículos, revisar las políticas institucionales y adoptar metodologías innovadoras que promuevan un aprendizaje activo y contextualizado. En el caso del sector marítimo, es crucial incluir contenidos relacionados con el Cambio Climático en los programas de formación, incentivar la investigación aplicada y fomentar colaboraciones con la industria para impulsar prácticas sostenibles. Estas medidas no solo contribuirían con la preparación de los futuros profesionales para la región, sino también al desarrollo de soluciones concretas frente a los desafíos climáticos globales.