forestry

Reforestation projects take root in Panama

LA PRENSA

Growth: One study says that if Panama were to use 15 percent of the potential lands for reforestation, it would generate 1.6 million temporary jobs and 1.2 million permanent jobs. Courtesy of ACP.965245

Reforestation for profit is moving along at a nice clip in Panama.

According to Carlos Melgarejo, head of the Departamento de Desarrollo Forestal de la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam), some 3,178,000 new trees were planted in 2007, covering around 3,248 hectares. These figures reflect an increase of 474 hectares, or 17 percent, over 2006, when 2,774 hectares were reforested.

The great majority of reforestation was undertaken for commercial purposes, with only a small part devoted to stabilizing the ecology of a particular area or as part of a community initiative to restore areas damaged by landslides, for example. Those projects were spearheaded by governmental organizations.

The Asociación Nacional de Reforestadores de Panamá (Anarap) believes the reforestation activity could be more robust if the state provided more fiscal support.

Soil studies conducted by Anarap show that Panamanian land is more suited to forestry than agriculture. "We don't have any information about new forestation projects," said Beatriz Atie, the president of Anarap, "but we know that companies are moving forward with projects they already have underway." She added, "If the figures are real, that means the country is making progress toward the goal of taking advantage of this window of opportunity, and we should learn how to develop [the sector].

She also said that the statistics probably include the reforestation program of the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP).

The ACP reports that in 2007 it planted 680,000 trees in the Canal watershed as part of a program it started in 1998. To date around 625 hectares hve been reforested in the protected area.

The president of ACP's board of directors, Dani Kuzniecky, said that the program is part of the plan for the expansion of the Canal.

"The ACP is dedicated to guaranteeing that the Expansion Program is environmentally viable, as demonstrated by [our] compliance with environmental impact studies and the adoption of required mitigation measures," Kuzniecky said recently.

The ACP reforested around 250 hectares in 2007 in cooperation with community groups and institutions in areas such as the Ciudad del Árbol in Chilibre and the Parque Nacional Altos de Campana in Capira.

In 2008, the ACP hopes to reforest another 250 hectares located in the Parque Nacional Soberanía and the Ciudad del Árbol, along with another 80 hectares in the district of Capira.

Companies like Sustainable Timbers, Green Belt Panamá and Golden Forest have been attracted to Panama by fiscal incentives and are moving forward with various projects.

Abraham Lincoln, a forestry engineer with Panamerican Reforestation, which administers Sustainable Timbers and Green Belt Panamá, explained that the development of plantations is going well because of the quality of the soil.

Sustainable Timbers, S.A. owns 1,822 hectares in Panama. Green Belt Panamá has reforested 701 hectáreas. Lincoln said the projects are based in Darién and that they have left 800 hectares in reserve.

Golden Forest, S.A. has a 20-year reforestation plan for African mahogany, teak and acacia valued at $5.4 million. All of its land is located in Capira.

Reforestation projects are a major source of employment in rural areas, according to a document from the now inactive Cámara Forestal de Panamá. "An are of 100 hectares can generate on the average 1,300 temporary jobs and 5 permanent jobs from the establishment of the plantation to final harvest," according to the group's study, which was completed in 2006.