interior

Anam lauds clean-up efforts

Residents of the province of Los Santos, who for decades were described as “predators” of the environment, have changed their attitude over the past decade or so.

The province is now seen as one of the areas in the country that is leading the way in conservation efforts, especially in the area of reforestation.

According to statistics from the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam), between 1950 and 1980 there was a massive amount of logging and deforestation in the province.

Virgilio Ureña, head of watershed management for Anam, said those activities had a negative impact on the climate and environment in the area. Some rivers started to become clogged with soil, and stopped flowing in the dry season. In 2001, a drought resulted in a large number of cows dying from starvation and dehydration. That event was precipitated by a drought in 1998.

Those two events seemed to have pushed farmers and others in the community to begin environmental reforms.

Today there are some 35 environmental groups active in the province, and 20 hectares of mangroves have been reforested between Isla Cañas and the coast of Santa Ana. On the whole, Panama has made great strides in reforestation, and met a goal set by the U.N. this month.

Along the Río La Villa, about 22,000 trees have been planted, and the area has benefited from small business investments in teak plantations.

Ureña said the entire community has benefited from this shift in attitude among residents, as the environment is now in much better shape.