In Panama, major port construction begins at key mangrove site

Conservation groups in Panama are trying to halt the construction of a new port in the Pacific province of Chiriquí that they say could destroy breeding grounds and nurseries for marine species.

The Puerto Barú project, located outside the town of David, would create a new port on Panama’s northwest coast, increasing trade and tourism for the area. But the port is located deep in a series of channels and lagoons covered in mangroves that support rays, sharks and other emblematic species. They won’t survive construction or the increased maritime traffic, conservationists say.

“We have always understood that Chiriquí needs a port; we are not disputing that,” said Guido Berguido, biologist and director of Adopta Bosque, a local environmental NGO. “What we are questioning is why a port is being built on land that is surrounded by a protected mangrove area. We need development, but it shouldn’t have to cost the earth or biodiversity.”

The project, which broke ground this month, includes the construction of a navigation channel 31 kilometers long by 100 meters wide (19 miles by 330 feet). It will require dredging parts of the Mangroves of David, a series of channels and lagoons that received protected status in 2007 because they contain around 25% of Panama’s mangroves.

Without dredging, the channel won’t be deep enough for larger merchant ships, according to developers.

Because the mangroves are part of the Gulf of Chiriquí, they’re considered an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA), a designation given to places vital to the survival of at least one shark or ray species. The critically endangered Pacific smalltail shark (Carcharhinus cerdale) is present in the bay, as are the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), also critically endangered, along with Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei), pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) and various sawfish species (family Pristidae), among others.

The entrance to the Mangroves of David are also used as a nursery by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).

To mitigate damage to mangroves, developers said they’re allocating more than 25% of the project’s land to mangrove conservation, including an ecological corridor, a buffer zone, a botanical garden and protection forests.

Developers for the project — which is privately funded by a “group of North American businessmen” with the support of “Panamanian professionals” — didn’t respond to Mongabay’s request for comment.

“We cannot allow them to destroy it and then say sorry,” Berguido said of the developers.

More than 50 conservation groups have organized a “No to Puerto Barú” campaign, arguing that dredging will weaken sediment beds and slopes where the mangroves take root. Without mangroves, they say, the area will be more susceptible to increased turbidity, the measure of how much sediment is clouding the water.

In total, the port will encroach on 3.08 hectares (7.61 acres) of mangroves, according to one independent review funded by the No to Puerto Barú campaign. Around 9 million cubic meters (318 million cubic feet) of sediment will be dredged from the channels while the port is being constructed, as well as another 800,000 m3 (28.3 million ft3) every two years after operations begin.

The port could also impact Coiba Island National Park and Marino Golfo de Chiriquí National Park, the campaign said. Both protected areas are located approximately 10 km (6 mi) away and could be impacted by increased traffic from cargo ships, cruise ships and yachts.

The review said even low traffic estimates of between 1.7 and 2.5 ships per day would threaten marine species more than the official environmental study suggests.

In total, the project is estimated to incur as much as $32 million in environmental damage, according to another study by the Conservation Strategy Fund, noting that the mangroves are a carbon sink that help control climate change, erosion and the flow of natural water.

Six environmental groups filed an injunction against the project last September, arguing that the environmental impact study had irregularities that misled local communities consulted about the project. They said the government incorrectly stated no mangroves would be affected by dredging.

The court denied their request to pause the project, forcing them to consider other legal strategies. They declined to share details about future legal filings.

“It’s urgent that we reevaluate the decision and relocate the port so that we can protect Panama’s mangroves for future generations,” said Joana Abrego, legal manager at the Environmental Advocacy Center in Panama.

This article by Maxwell Radwin was first published by Mongabay.com on 23 January 2025. Lead Image: A humpback whale in Panama. Photo courtesy of Miambiente. 

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