Environmental preservation first action in mine closing – Minister

The Minister of Commerce and Industries, Jorge Rivera Staff, said at a Tuesday, press conference that one of the first actions taken after the closure of the Donoso mine will be to guarantee the environmental preservation of the site.

Additionally, two additional strategies will be implemented; one related to the defense of Panama in international arbitrations and a plan to replace the Gross Domestic Product generated by the mining project.

For the orderly closure of the Minera Panamá project, the first plan is to activate a temporary environmental preservation and safe management plan.

In the strategy for the defense of the country’s interests in international arbitrations, Staff stressed that work will be done in coordination with the ministries of Commerce and Industries and Economy and Finance and the Public Ministry; and a “legal advisory commission” will be formed.

Regarding the strategy for the sustainable substitution of metallic mining in the national GDP, he contributed that the execution of Law 407 on mining moratorium continues; with the collection of micro and macroeconomic data, with the development of cost and benefit analysis.

According to the Government, the work schedule establishes tasks that range from December 23, 2023, with the organization of the temporary phase of environmental preservation and safe management, until June 2024, with the beginning of the preparation of the Final Closure Plan and Post Closing.

There will be a “panel of experts” made up of authorities, civil society organizations, and scientists. He specified that the Ministry of Science and Technology already sent them a proposal in this regard, about which he did not give more details.

Last week the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which formed a table technique for the closure of the mine, requested the Government to be an observer in the process.