ENVIRONMENT: $1 million to monitor marine parks

With an initial capital of $1  million the Mar Viva Foundation has created  an environmental management  program to monitor the Marine National Park in the Gulf of Chiriqui and Coiba National Park.

On Friday, March 25,  MarViva signed a cooperation agreement with the Banco BCT and the Ministry of Public Security  for the establishment of a "Trust Management to Support the Management and Conservation of Marine Protected Areas in Panama,"

The funds will be used for future maintenance and replacement of a patrol boat donated to MarViva by the National Air Service.

The document states that additional donations will allow the trust to incorporate activities such as biological monitoring to assess the impact of policing on populations of marine species, training of officials responsible for maintaining law and other vessels or equipment available for monitoring the coast of Great Chiriquí.

MarViva has previously provided fully equipped interceptor boats, crew and all operating expenses required for the operations of joint patrols with authorities as a collaborative agreement established with the National Environmental Authority, and Zuleika Pinzón, national director of MarViva in Panama.