The first canopy crane was built in Panama City’s Metropolitan Natural Park in 1990, with a $30,000 grant from the Smithsonian. The Finnish, German and Norwegian governments also contributed additional funds through the United Nations Environment Program.
The International Canopy Crane Network was created in 1997, with Panama’s cranes being the first of what are now 11 cranes located in forests across five continents.
Panama City’s Metropolitan Natural Park crane reaches 80 species of trees and lianas (vines) in a seasonally dry forest, offering a spectacular view of the city’s skyline.
An agreement orchestrated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in 2006 gave the PNM exclusive use of the crane, and on November 2, 2007, the PNM Board of Trustees and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute signed a memorandum of understanding establishing the terms and conditions for the use of the STRI crane; principally for environmental education, and for tourism purposes to allow educational tourist tours on the crane. (PNM)
After three decades of service, the Metropolitan Park crane succumbed to corrosion and was replaced by an even higher one (59.4 meters, compared to the previous 47) and with a wider range (65 meters, compared to the previous 50).