Environmental protection in Panama

Hi Kenjee - My wife and I have lived in Panama for three years now and I appreciate your question.
We do our best to live a green lifestyle beginning with buying products that are not pre-packaged, using our AC as little as possible (with the risk of very dirty air and soot coming into our home), walking and using public transport rather than owning a car,  We would recycle but there are no facilities in Panama that have significant recycling programs.

To expand on the greening issue in Panama we have observed the following:

1. Trash collection is sporadic at best in Panama City and mostly non-existent in the interior, even in some of the most affluent areas like el Valle where residents and hotels regularly choose to burn all their garbage, including plastics, rather than take it to collection places that may be two hours away - each direction.
It is common to see garbage and other trash dumped along city streets and roads or overflowing from collection facilities attracting insects, rodents and other infectious disease carriers.
2. Exhaust fumes from vehicular traffic in the larger cities - Panama City, David, Boquette, etc. are visible during most of the day.  While vehicle inspection is required, many cars, buses and trucks can be seen on the streets and roads that do not have current license plates and therefore have not been inspected.  There is little, if any, effort
to enforce the laws related to this blatant disregard of the law.  This is partially due to the culture of corruption that has existed in the region and remains alive and well.
Ships transiting the Panama Canal burn huge amounts of very low grade diesel while moving and while sitting idle waiting their turn to transit.  Boaters, likewise, dump non-bio degradable waste into the water.
3. There are no reports, and perhaps no measurement of air or water quality.
4. Sanitation in the interior and some urban centers is severely lacking and seldom inspected.  Many of the 3,000 MEDUCA schools are unusable due to lack of functioning sanitation facilities.  Sewer system blockages and infrastructure failures in the cities cause not uncommon "backups" of sewage out of "manholes" designed to maintain the sewer lines, and flow unabated along streets.
5. Alternative energy programs, both active and passive, are begrudgingly approved and building codes do not require or even encourage green design considerations.

So we have many problems in this paradise.  Public awareness and education may be the only answer as governments in the region seem to be ineffective in monitoring and enforcing any efforts to improve these conditions.

Richard, You said that very well. we have been living in Panama for 6 years and I agree with everything you said.

There is minimal environmental protection in Panama at best........mostly just a pretense of care and concern........the country is inundated with garbage and desperatelyneeds a recycling program. some years ago a Brazilian company had plans to build a recycling center outside of David, here in Chiriqui, but it never happened......probably has something to do with unwillingness on the part of the Brazilians to pay exhoribant bribes which are typically required around here in order to advance any kind of project......Maybe not as overt and flagrant and in your face as the Dem Rep of the Congo, but not so verydifferent either.........Most of the beaches are trashed even tho the corrupt local municipios send a police escorted group to the most popular beaches to charge an entry fee on a public road for a public beach, supposedly for a cleanup whichnever happens..........Personally I take charge of the popular river swimming spot below my finca here in upcountry Chiriqui and keep it clean......I paint the rocks with anti litter signs and "take responsibility" signs and pick it all up on a regular basis and haul it down to the bodega area of the Municipalidad.............For the most part people are cooperating......The govt. reallyneeds to take the lead in this national cleanup campaign...........its a huge problem in this otherwise beautiful little tropical country.............

Greetings!

I appreciate your post and would be happy to provide you some of the initiatives i know and working on using your posting:

Environmental protection is a challenging issue for all the countries around the world. Would you say this issue is deemed of significance in Panama?

At present, it is significant based on the weather patterns which have caused drought and flooding within their seasons. Farmers are currently struggling with the government agency MIDA (Ministerio Desarollo Agropecuario) helping as best they can.

Is the country going green through initiatives like waste management and selective sorting programs, renewable energies, public transport, green awareness campaigns and so forth?

At present, there is a public awareness campaign through various movements and foundations (facebook "cañamo-panama") which are promoting industrial hemp as a viable source of energy, construction, health, bio-fuels, bio-plastics, etc. There is a Diputado named Valderama which has begun a motion to allow medicinal marihuana into the country and it has passed the first debate (primer debate). With Industrial hemp close behind, I look forward to see it become an alternative crop to the farmers with this carbon negative plant.

How do you personally commit to improve the environment in your daily life?

By supporting and providing public awareness campaigns through social media.

We would greatly appreciate if you could tell us more about the various local initiatives for sustainable development in Panama.

I have a list of contacts with various projects, please contact me offline for this...

Thanks...

H

Hello H
I would like to email  you offline and get your contacts. My husband wants to do coral restoration in Panama, specifically in Bocas del Toro. He needs contacts who know how to form the equivalent of a 503C non profit  but in Panama and learn how to get the proper permits to do this project. Can you help?

Hi Lively Lady > please contact the user privately or start a new topic as here the subject is : Environmental protection in Panama.

Thank you,
Christine
Expat.com

We have an active recycling and litter clean up program here in El Valle.
Jon

I would like to report a bit of very good news (if accurate) that I recently received thru the Pana grapevine. My Panagrnga amiga Chely whose brother is the representante in Paraiso de Boqueron, told me that there is  a Canadian Recycling Company that intends to build a recycling center right here in Chiriqui.Dont know precisely where but supposedly the contracts have been signed and it will be happening soon.........if so, kudos to the Varela Administration for progress in a very important area.......

I love to hear good news!

Approximately 6 months ago, it was announced that there would be centralized trash stations and new trucks. Private collection of trash was outlawed. The money was already budgeted but I've heard nothing since.