ENVIRONMENT: Panama's lungs moving to pasture

As Amazon forests burn or are taken over by mining corporations and farming interests the Darien jungle Panama’s own lung for world is also disappearing with 1,800 hectares of valuable forests already gone and the devastation continuing at a rate of 8.1 hectares per day.

The bad news is reported in the latest 2019 studies prepared by the new Department of Tele Detection created by the  Ministry of Environment (Miambiente) to calculate the rate of deforestation nationwide.

The department is responsible for permanently monitoring the country’s forest cover through high-resolution satellite geo technology. According to the Minister of Environment, Milciades Concepción , these are “preliminary figures” of a study that is being developed by a specialized team.

Since taking possession on July 1, Concepción suspended for 100 timber extraction permits while an “audit” is carried out to know the impact of the logging activity and the guarantees that were given for logging during the last administration, not only in Darien, but also in East Panama.

Despite this measure, those involved in the logging activity seek different mechanisms to continue illegally harvesting wood from the region.

On August 11 authorities of MiAmbiente made a tour of the checkpoints in Jenené, in the Cañita sector; and Tortí, between Darién and eastern Panama. During the inspection, it was verified that three containers and two .trucks did not have the current transport guides; Administrative sanctions were applied. The guides are the document that indicates that the cutting is authorized by Miambiente 

. At that time, Víctor Cadavid, national director of Forestry of the entity, stressed that the operations will continue on a regular basis throughout the country, with the support of the members of the Ecological Police, particularly in the Darien and East Panama.

In the last five years 52  fines and forest sanctions processes have been applied for offenses from illegal logging to burning.

Stanley Heckadon , a scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, between 1970 and 1980 was part of the group of experts who measured or established the limits of several ecological reserves in Darien like the Filo del Tallo Hydrological Reserve, in which about 17 rivers and streams are born.

However, according to Heckadon, loggers, land speculators and the advance of the agricultural frontier without any planning are damaging the areas biodiversity and heading for a timrreports La Prensa. 

“At that rate indicated by the figures of the Ministry of Environment, Darien will be a great pasture in the future. There will be nothing left, ”he said.

Another of the problems that concerns the scientist are the large forest fires caused by farmers and ranchers in the area and that many extend to the more than five protected areas that were established in Darien.

Between March and April this year several fires devastated about 1000 hectares of the Punta Patiño ecological reserve.

 Three years ago, Matusagaratí wildlife refuge wetlands lost 2,000 hectares of primary forest through arson.

Hermel López, of the Association of Professionals of Darién for Integral and Sustainable Development, indicated that it is “regrettable” what is happening in that province. “The impact is irreversible and rivers like the Chucunaque are decreasing their flow. Many are no longer navigable, have a lot of sediment and affect water intakes for the population’s consumption, ”he said.

For López, after the Amazon in Brazil, and the Petén jungle in Guatemala, Darién has the most valuable forests in Latin America. “Without a doubt, Darien is our Amazon,”