Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to the functioning of the Panama Canal, the lifeblood of Panama's economy and not insigni-
ficant to the US.
As well, reforestation programmes in Panama have become more common in the last
few years. Initially they were all teak plantations, which arguably further degrade the soil,
do nothing to sustain biodiversity and being a monoculture are more susceptible to disease;
however, there has been a positive recent move towards more sustainable mixed plantations
of native species. The Azuero Earth Project ( azueroearthproject.org ), another Panama-US
collaboration, is attempting to establish a biological corridor in the Azuero Peninsula, work-
ing with local landowners to regenerate tropical dry forest, as well as carry out community
outreach and education programmes.
Mining and hydroelectric projects
Another area of environmental concern is the mining industry . After the hiatus in mineral
exploitation during the 1990s due to its unprofitability, prices have risen again and the threat
looms once more. In 2008 a sobering revelation was made by a new Panamanian environ-
mental watchdog, CIAM (Centro de Incidencia Ambiental), namely that the amount of land
involved in mining concessions that have either already been granted or are awaiting con-
sideration totals three times the country's surface area. The Petaquilla open-cast gold mine
has restarted operations despite still owing $2 million in fines and damages for environment-
al negligence and trampling on local people's rights. Cerro Colorado, potentially one of the
world's largest copper mines, smack in the middle of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé is the cur-
rent battleground. Tensions have escalated between the government and Ngäbe and Buglé
protesters who managed to bring the country's economy to a standstill in 2012 by blocking
the Interamericana for six days, a protest, which ended in violence as the police were sent in,
leaving three dead and many wounded.
Protests also continue against the displacement of communities for the many micro-hydro-
electric projects underway or planned for western Panama - around seventy in Chiriquí at
the last count - one of which has already resulted in intervention by the Interamerican Hu-
man Rights Commission. Environmentalists are particularly concerned about projects that lie
within the Amistad National Park or its buffer zone of Palo Seco.
Tourism and environmental impact
In the midst of this ecological gloom stands the difficult balance between promoting tourism,
which has been on the rise, and limiting the environmental and social impact.
Indigenous communities above all are being encouraged to engage in cultural eco-tour-
ism , inviting visitors to learn about their traditional ways of life and selling their handicrafts.
With little financial support from the government, some groups have benefited from assist-
ance from NGOs or local Peace Corps workers. Emberá communities along the Chagres,
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