Ocana, Gilberto, Rubinoff, Ira, Smythe, Nicholas, and Werner, Dagmar. 1988. "Alternatives to Destruction. Research in Panama." In Biodiversity. Wilson, E. O., editor. 370–376. Washington D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
Ocana, Gilberto. 1981. "La mision del Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) en Panama y en el tropico en general." Revista medica de Panama, 6, (1) 3–12.
Alternatives to destruction : a proposal for research into some tropical forest resources and their rational exploitation / principal investigator: Michael H. Robinson ; co-principal investigator: Gilberto Ocaña
Title:
Proposal for research into some tropical forest resources and their rational exploitation
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives'
record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program
staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also interviews conducted
by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Ocana was interviewed for the Smithsonian Institution Archives Oral History Collection because of his research career in agronomy in Panama, as a professor at the University
of Panama and researcher and administrator at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
Descriptive Entry:
This interview of Ocana by Pamela M. Henson of Smithsonian Institution Archives discusses his family, education, work as an agronomist and professor in Panama, and
career at STRI, especially his agriforestry project. The collection consists of 2.5 hours of audiotape recordings and 34 pages of transcript. For a videotaped interview of
Ocana at the site of the agriforestry project on Gigante Peninsula, see Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9553, Conservation of Endangered Species Videohistory
Interviews.
Historical Note:
Gilberto Ocana (1931-2004), agronomist specializing in tropical flora, received the B.S. from the Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture in Alger, Algeria, in 1955. From 1955
to 1960, he served on the staff of the Servicio Interamericano de Cooperacion Agricola en Panama and taught at the Agricultural School of the University of Panama from 1961
to 1963. In 1967, he received the Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California at Riverside. He then returned to the University of Panama, serving as Dean as
well as Professor of Agronomy. In 1980, he joined the staff of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) as manager of the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, a nature
preserve consisting of Barro Colorado Island and its surrounding peninsulas. While at STRI, he developed an experimental farm at Las Pavas on the Gigante Peninsula that would
restore soils destroyed by cattle grazing and provide a comfortable income for small farmers. He retired from STRI in 1993.
Rights:
Restricted. Contact SIHistory@si.edu to request permission.
Interview of Ocana by Henson discusses his youth and family in Panama, education at the Ecole Nationale d'Agriculture in Alger, Algeria, career as an agronomist at the Servicio Interamericano de Cooperacion Agricola in Panama and professor at the Agric...
