Reforesting Panama’s diminished Forests

According to the National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON), about 540 thousand hectares of forest in Panama have been lost in the last 20 years. Another estimated 2 million hectares of land has been seriously degraded, with a deforestation rate exceeding 20 thousand hectares a year.

Whats more is the regeneration of forests has been slow. According to ANCON Panama has regenerated a little more than 75 hectares of forest since 2009, after a law was put in place creating incentives for reforestation.

This alarming data was received last week in a statement by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP), during the signing of a cooperation agreement with Ancon and the Association of Reforestation and Allied Panama (ANARAP) to develop a reforestation program in the country.

The agreement, called Alianza del Millón por Panamá (The Million Alliance for Panama) is an agreement that aims to plant one million hectares of forest over the next of 20 years.

ANAM ON THE PROBLEM OF DEFORESTATION

Silvano Vergara, administrator of Panama’s National Environmental Authority (ANAM), spoke to the areas of Panama that have been hit the hardest by deforestation.

According to Vergara, the main areas of deforestation are located in the Darien, on the border of Colombia, in the region of Chepo, in the eastern sector of Panama City, and in mountainous areas of the country. These areas devastated by deforestation include protected areas.

This information is worrisome because there is a limit to the surveillance available for these areas, said Vergara.

While Law 23 and 24 worked to establish incentives for reforestation in Panama back in 1992, little was done to reach the country’s environmental goals. Despite this, agreements like Alianza del Millón por Panamá show a promise from Panama to work harder towards improving Panama’s future.

The problem will take a while to fix, however with a strong commitment to conservation and reforestation it is possible.