Wildfires creating Darien ecological disaster

AN ESTIMATED 2,000 hectares of land in Panama’s largest wetland area  in the Darién.have been impacted by wildfires during the current dry season. 

Ligia Arreaga, coordinator of the Alliance for a Better Darien, called the situation an “ecological tragedy.” Reports La Prensa.

The alliance has filed complaints against more than 15 people in Darien province for setting the wildfires intentionally and businessmen are targets of the administration for illegally seizing and developing land, including one for whom an extradition order has been issued in Colombia.  Illegal lohhing is another problem in the region.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment said it has opened administrative proceedings against a number of people, and has taken steps to create a nature reserve in one of the areas most impacted by the fires, the Matusagarati lagoon.

This wetland is the largest in Panama and one of the most important in Central America. It is home to hundreds of species, of wildlife and plants.

Access to the area is limited, but the recent wildfires have prompted the Ministry of the Environment to take steps  to protect the area