Barro Colorado Island
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Barro Colorado Island is an artificial island located in the Gatun Lake portion of the Panama Canal. It has an area of 15 square kilometres. The island is a protected site dedicated to the study of lowland moist tropical forests. Together with five adjacent peninsulas, BCI forms the Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), which is located in the middle of the Panama Canal and has an area of 54 square kilometres. Established on April 17, 1923, the BCNM has been administered by the Smithsonian since 1946. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has a permanent research center on the island, dedicated to studying the rainforest ecosystem. Because of its diverse ecosystem not altered by humans, Barro Colorado is considered a good example of a little-changed natural environment. It must be noted, however, that most larger fauna disappeared from Barro Colorado after the lake was flooded due to the island's area being insufficient for maintaining a viable population. Many scientific studies have been conducted to document the changes in the species composition of the island (see also Island biogeography), and the island ranks as one of the most important, perhaps the most important, tropical rainforest research stations.
The island was formed when the waters of the Chagres River were dammed to form Gatun Lake. When the waters rose, they covered a significant part of the existing rainforest, and the hilltops remained as islands in the middle of the lake.
An estimated 200 scientists from around the world conduct scientific investigations on Barro Colorado Island each year.
"The Tapir's Morning Bath" by Elizabeth Royte chronicles the lives and work of scienists working on the island.
