The Start Of The Puerto Barú Project In David Is Facing Protests
Date
1/19/2025 2:13:46 PM
(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama)
A group of local fishermen, tour operators and environmental activists have expressed their strong opposition to the launch of the Puerto Barú project in David. The protesters gathered in boats in front of the proposed port, located among the mangroves of David, to voice their concerns about the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the project. The protest highlights growing dissatisfaction over the enormous threat the project poses to fragile local ecosystems and to communities' commercial and subsistence activities. Mangroves vital for artisanal fishing of lobster, shrimp, fish and mollusks could be seriously damaged by dredging. This impact, according to an independent technical study, has not been properly analyzed in the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) of Puerto Barú, approved by the previous administration of the Ministry of Environment (MiAMBIENTE).
Tour operators from the nearby ports of Boca Chica, Chorcha and Pedregal, among others, are particularly concerned about the negative impact that continued dredging will have on the coral reefs and crystal-clear beaches that support the Gulf of Chiriqui's growing tourist activity. According to a scientific review of the project's EIA by the international firm Lynker, the fine sediments released and dispersed during dredging were not adequately considered, and represent a serious threat to the nearby reefs of the Gulf of Chiriqui National Park.
Local entrepreneurs who specialize in whale and dolphin watching tours in the Boca Brava estuary and adjacent areas have expressed concern about the impact of the disposal of sediment from dredging and noise pollution and possible collisions with cetaceans.
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