BRIEFS. Environment

45 Students to start reforestation project

ERIC BATISTA/ LA PRENSA

Nature Model: A scaled-down look at a reforestation project being undertaken in Veraguas to clean up streams and rivers.952743

Forty-five young people from the communities of La Soledad and Cañazas Arriba, in Veraguas, have created a project to clean up polluted rivers and streams in the province.

The project involves reforesting areas that have been cleared around rivers and streams. The cutting of trees leads to soil washing into rivers during storms, thus ruining the water quality.

Reforestation will be aided by the construction of a nursery that will have upwards of 3,000 seedlings of different species of trees, including ornamental and fruit trees.

The trees will be native species adaptable to the climate, said Eduardo Moreno, a manager with Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam).

The project, which was presented at an Anam meeting focusing on preserving the environment in the region, is intended to achieve a balance in the ecosystem between water, soil and vegetation.