Sweet deal for tree cutters and parking spaces
Panama’s Supreme Court will pay $12,072 for each tree cut to make room for a parking lot in front of the court. Compensation by the contractors to the environmental body ANAM will be $5 per tree.
The beneficiary of the sweet deal is Corcione & Associates.
The breakdown of prices for the work on the website PanamáCompra, shows the construction company charged a total of $34,432. to cut down 34 trees, among which are palms, a species protected under the National Environmental Authority (ANAM .)
This amount is included in the $6,540 988 for the construction of 356 parking spaces at a rate of $19,360 per car.
The figure contrasts the Judicial Branch will pay the compensation demanded by ecological Anam to logging says La Prensa.
According to Resolution 284-2012 ADRPM-AGICH of Anam, the builder must pay five dollars for each tree cut.
To set this price, Orlando Bernal, director of Assessment and Environmental Management of Anam, said the institution was based on Resolution 198 of 1993 on board the missing Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (INRENARE), currently Anam, an institution that in this document set the price per tree felled.
Felix Wing, director of the Center for Environmental Advocacy (CIAM), the criteria cited by the official is incorrect.
"It seems that the officer was mistaken in the number and the year. Actually it is Article 21 of the JD-resolution 01-98 of January 22, 1998, "he said.
After making the reservation, the environmentalist said it is unfair that the beneficiary of a contract should pay the same rate of compensation for cutting a tree as a peasant or indigenous person . "The fee covers administrative services only and does not take into account the value of each individual tree by species, size, location and degree of protection," he adds.
In addition to the 34 trees to be felled in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of indicated that the area the project will, cohabit with 17 species of birds, six mammals and one type of amphibian.
The company that did the study, indicated that six identified species were considered vulnerable.
These are birds like the yellow Amazon, the keel-billed toucan and parrot barbinaranja, as well as mammals such as squirrel monkeys, white-tailed deer and black green frog and amphibian.
Within the EIA, by were recommendations for planting grass, including on the roof of the structure and planting fruit trees and providing plans to rescue, animals, and provide first aid before returning them to their habitat
