we are in the heart of panama in soberania national park, but this is probably the future of much of tropical biology, because although it seems like a large area of rainforest, over here we have bulldozers knocking down the forest. over in this direction we have slash-and-burn farming going on. we have hunters encroaching from all sides of the forest, having major impacts on the wildlife communities. this is an island of forest, and it's shrinking over time. and so really this is the heart of t question we are trying to get out here. are these going to be islands of survival or islands of extinction? yes, you're very cute. arose from a lifelong lovee, e importof animals.ainforest very pretty little bird. dr. bill laurance: i was one of those kids at just loved animals. and i raised mountain lions and bear cubs, and i was a falconer. i had birds of prey and owls and ferrets and flying squirrels -- just a whole menagerie that my long-suffering parents put up with. i started working in zoos in the united states. and eventually i just became convinced that it's the protection of the nat

we are in the heart of panama in soberania national park, but this is probably the future of much oforest, and it's shrinking over time. and so really this is the heart of t question we are trying to get out here. are these going to be islands of survival or islands of extinction? yes, you're very cute. arose from a lifelong lovee, the impoof animals. rainforest very pretty little bird. dr. bill laurance: i was one of those kids at just loved animals. and i raised mountain lions and bear cubs, and i was a falconer. i had birds of prey and owls and ferrets and flying squirrels -- just a whole menagerie that my long-suffering parents put up with. i started working in zoos in the united states. and eventually i just became convinced that it's the protection of the natural homes, the ecosystems, that's really critical. so at that time i decide that i wanted to work on conservation of natural ecosystems. [ speaking foreign language ] narrator: that desire has taken laurance all over the world. for over 25 years, he has beestudying rainforests africa, auralia, brazil, and at the sthsoni tr