Panamanian NGOs urge review of Puerto Barú development as research highlights potential mangrove damage

Independent scientific analysis conducted by a world-leading, US environmental modeling engineering firm.

43 organizations, including CIAM, Adopta Bosque, CEASPA, FUNDICCEP, Audubon Panama and PROMAR are supporting the No to Puerto Barú campaign to highlight the environmental damage potentially caused by the port.

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- No to Puerto Barú campaign leaders warned today that the Gulf of Chiriquí's mangrove forests, fish stock, and coral reefs will be irreversibly damaged if the construction of the Puerto Barú project in David gets underway, according to an independent scientific report.

The Puerto Barú Environmental Impact Study (EIS) – approved by the last government – fails to spell out the true impact and risks to the delicate biodiversity of the West-Pacific region of Panama, according to the report by international consulting firm Lynker, a leading environmental modeling engineering firm, which also works as a contractor for the U.S. Federal Government.

The developers have repeatedly claimed that no mangroves will be affected by the construction of Puerto Barú. However, for the port to be viable, the project will require the dredging of parts of the navigation channel to reach a depth of up to 12 m.  While dredging, fine sediment will be mobilized into the water column and transported by the rising tidal current towards the mangrove, trapping and suffocating mangrove roots, and disrupting seedlings by reducing penetration of light. Dredging will also increase water salinity in the estuary, which can disrupt the mangroves' development, the life cycles of the marine species that hatch in them, and disturb other critical ecosystems nearby.

The proposed dredging would lead to 9 million m³ (the equivalent to 600,000 dump trucks of sediment) being removed from the seabed during the construction stage, and additional 800,000 m³ every two years thereafter. This sediment would be disposed at the mouth of the estuary, where the ebb tide would transport it to the calm waters of the Parque Nacional Golfo de Chiriquí, which is only 9 kilometers away, affecting coral reefs of great touristic and ecological importance.

Lynker's analysis concludes that improper techniques were applied in the sediment dispersion and hydrodynamic modeling used in the EIS to assess the fate and transport of this disposed sediment. These findings cast doubt on the EIS's conclusions regarding the minimal impact of dredging on mangroves and nearby protected areas. For reference, a recent dredging project in Miami, Florida saw 80 times more coral reef die than expected.

The mangroves also play a vital role in shielding communities from rising sea levels, floods, and storms. The communities around Puerto Barú are currently protected by the large mangrove forest, which acts as a natural flood defense from swells and storms. The construction and port operations threaten to damage these mangroves, making the communities around the port area more vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather events. 

The protected mangroves are home to critically endangered species, such as the black-crowned central American squirrel monkey and hawksbill sea turtles, the most endangered sea turtle species in the world. Both species are decreasing in population, prompting countries and organizations to take measures to stop them from going extinct.

The area is also home to bottlenose dolphins, birds, monkeys, iguanas, fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Data also shows that large populations of humpback whales, Bryde's whales, critically endangered Pacific smalltail sharks (Carcharhinus cerdale), inhabit the Gulf of Chiriquí, including in areas near the proposed navigation channel of the Puerto Baru project. There have also been numerous sightings of the endangered green sea turtle nearby.

For Dr. Julio Zyserman at Lynker, Puerto Barú's EIS lacks sufficient evidence and underestimates the port's potential impact.

"The developers' EIS does not sufficiently consider the impact that the port construction, operations and dredging will have on critical ecosystems, something that is essential to any environmental evaluation. We have concerns about the methodology applied to the sediment transport modeling used in the EIS, and we have also found that there was an inadequate assessment of the impact of increased marine traffic on marine animals", explained Zyserman.

Meanwhile, Guido Berguido, Biologist and Director of Adopta Bosque, one of the organizations opposing Puerto Barú in David, emphasized that the research from international consulting firm Lynker demonstrates why this port cannot be allowed in this location.

"We have always understood that Chiriquí needs a port; we are not disputing that. What we are questioning is why a port is being built on land that is surrounded by a protected mangrove area. We need development, but it shouldn't have to cost the earth or biodiversity," said Berguido.

For her part, Joana Abrego, Legal Manager at CIAM, said that Lynker's investigation is proof that, if the Puerto Barú project in David is not stopped, one of the most precious mangrove forests in Central America could be destroyed forever.

"We have always known that the EIS did not robustly assess the impacts that the port will have on the protected areas and surrounding ecosystem. That is why we filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to have the Resolution that approved the EIS declared null and void. The true impact was not assessed by the previous government when approving it. It is urgent to re-evaluate the decision and relocate the port so that we can protect Panama's mangroves for future generations," asserted Abrego.

The controversial Puerto Barú is proposed to be built 20 kilometers away from the city of David, in the province of Chiriquí, affecting a protected area that contains 25% of Panama's mangrove surface.

The following 43 organizations endorse the No to Puerto Barú campaign:

CIAM Panamá
Adopta Bosque Panamá
PANACETACEA
Proyecto Primates Panamá
FUNDICCEP
SOA Panamá
AIDA
Chilliapp
Avaaz
Alianza para la Conservación y el Desarrollo ACD
Fundación Naturaleza Panama FUNAT
Asociación Pro Defensa de la Cuenca del Río Juan Díaz APROCUENCA
ICEDEP - Investigación, Comunicación y Educación para el Desarrollo
CRECOBIAN - UNACHI
ACOTMAR
Fundación Cerro Cara Iguana
Colectivo YA ES YA
Fundación Balu Uala
CEASPA
Fundación Panameña de Turismo Sostenible
Pro Eco Azuero
Movimiento Vigilia Nueva Soberanía
Hiking Feminista
Fundacion Panama Sostenible (PASOS)
Shark Defenders Panama
Sociedad Audubon de Panama
Movimiento Jóvenes y Cambio Climático
Twin Oceans Research Foundation
Fundación para la Proteccion del Mar - PROMAR
Cámara de Turismo del Distrito de Barú
Ecoamigos Barú
Panamá Sostenible
Proyecto ECOGRAFE
Mar Alliance
Estudio Nuboso
Alianza Bocas
Fundación Agua y Tierra

PANAMA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Organización de mujeres indigenas unidas por la biodiversidad de Panamá (omiubp)
Fundación Movimiento MIMAR
"APRODISO- Asociación de Profesionales de Darién para el Desarrollo Integral y Sostenible"
Kincha Droma OBC
RAM- Raices Ambientales Matusagarati 

Further Background Information

The controversial Puerto Barú project is a private, multipurpose port development in one of the most extensive and healthiest mangrove forests in Central America, 12 miles away from David City, on the Panamanian Pacific Coast. This area is home to 25% of all Panama's mangroves.

In September 2024, a group of organizations composed of conservation professionals, scientists, lawyers, and biologists, filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Justice to declare null and void the Resolution that approved the developer's Environmental Impact Study.

The group is not against development and wants to see a port built in the province of Chiriquí. That is why the group is calling for other suitable locations for the port to be considered, where protected mangroves and marine life will not be impacted.

The report also found that:

• The closest straight-line distance from the navigational channel to Coiba Island National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is approximately 63 km, not the 168 km stated by the developers.
• The EIS has significant shortcomings in its assessment of the potential impacts of dredging on the mangrove ecosystem. It provides inconsistent analyses of sediment transport impacts, lacks adequate mitigation measures, omits detailed species-specific assessments, and does not sufficiently consider critical factors like salinity changes. These gaps suggest that the EIS does not fully address the environmental risks associated with the proposed project.
• The nearby coral reefs at Parque Nacional Golfo de Chiriquí are at high risk of being impacted by fine, suspended sediment from dredging.
• The dredging material disposal site is only 9 km away from the coral reefs at Parque Nacional Golfo de Chiriquí, which represents a significant risk of environmental impact on the reefs.
• The assertion that marine mammals are absent from navigation areas contradicts data from sources like the Ocean Biogeographic Information System.
• Vessels would have to cross humpback whale habitat in order to enter the navigation channel.

Notes to Editors

1.      About Lynker

Based in in Boulder, Colorado in the United States, Lynker deliver innovative scientific solutions to support global environmental security and economic prosperity as a trusted partner to governments, communities, and industry.

They are a premier science, engineering, and technology company supporting some of the world's most important missions. Their areas of specialties include Scientific and Technical Engineering Consulting Services, Environmental Modeling, Water Resources, Geospatial Solutions, and Program & Portfolio Management.

Lynker also stands out for their leadership in community engagement, spearheading initiatives to address climate change, advocate for responsible resource development, and enhance resilience to hazards like floods, droughts, and wildfires. Their modeling expertise spans surface, groundwater, and coastal systems at scales ranging from local to national, with contributions to Colorado municipal water systems, the U.S. National Water Model in partnership with NOAA, and long-term collaborations with clients in Central and South America.

A significant portion of Lynker's work focuses on producing hydrologic and environmental assessments that not only meet technical rigor but also provide practical, actionable solutions.

2.      About Puerto Barú

A developer is pledging to build a multi-purpose port 20km from the center of the city of David, in the province of Chiriquí, Panama.

This project will operate in the western region, close to an area that is home to a quarter of the mangroves in Panama. The project crosses the Mangroves of David, which were declared a protected area by the Municipal Council of the District of David through Agreement No. 21 of June 6, 2007.

As part of the Puerto Barú project, developers are planning to build a main port area, a tank area for liquid goods such as palm oil, gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel, a tourist and marine zone, and a residential development.

The environmentally protected area would be under threat by the construction and running of the port.

While the port itself is to be located on private land, it is the activity from open sea to the port which risks causing lasting damage to the delicate ecosystem.

For ships to enter and leave the port, a navigation channel will have to be built. The channel will go from the North Pacific Ocean, following Boca Brava, passing through Isla Muertos to the Chiriquí Nuevo River.

SOURCE No To Puerto Barú