 Tropical forests around Panama are vital for the functioning of the Panama Canal, providing it with the water required for its operation.Due to the canal's importance to the Panamanian economy, tropical forests around the canal have been kept in an almost pristine state; the canal is thus a rare example of a vast engineering project in the middle of a forest that helped to preserve that forest.Along the western side of the canal is the "Parque Nacional Soberanía" (Sovereignty National Park), which includes the Summit botanical gardens and a zoo.