The nationwide mandatory quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped the widespread felling of trees and the movement of timber can the Emberá-Wounaan sector of Panama.

Clelia Mezúa, leader of the Embera-Wounaan Organized Women, denounced that trucks loaded with trunks continue to come out of the Canán area and that trees are still being cut down in the mountains, despite the complaint filed with the Public Ministry for anomalies in the concessions granted since 2002.

Mezúa said they do not know why the authorities of the Environment Ministry (MiAmbiente)  or the security forces have not stopped the activity of the loggers and truckers who continue to extract wood from the forests.

the Ministry says that the activity of transport and export of wood is among those excepted from quarantine.

The wood reaches a storage yard and from there to the loading area, from where the logs leave in containers to the ports. All the logs have a traceability chip to determine their origin which is , is verified by Mi Ambiente.