Developers get double bonus- environment a double whammy

Hot on the heels of a court decision removing the protection for the mangrove forests on the Bay of Panama. comes an announcement that the  cost of felling permits  and fines has been drastically reduced.

Developers are overjoyed, environmentalists shocked and considering their next move.

The Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP) decreased the cost of  felling permits for commercial projects in the country from $150,000 $10,000 per hectare.

In addition, through Resolution No. 020 of May 23, 2012, published in Official Gazette, penalties for illegally cutting down mangroves, from $300,000 to $40,000.

Environmental organizations said the new measures, are threats to  the conservation of wetlands and the species of trees.

Felix Wing, executive director of the Center for Environmental Advocacy, said it is very atrange  to publish the new amounts after the Supreme Court rescinded the resolutions that protected the Panama Bay wetland and natural area of ??Donoso in Columbus.

The Ministry of Health and the National Environmental Authority will meet next week to address the  issue.

Mangroves help to protect us from adverse climate, minimize flooding in the rainy season, trap sediments and become the first line of defense of the coastline.