Residents of Juan Diaz Protesting To Protect Mangrove Swamps

Today, we celebrate the World Environment day, date in which environmentalists and residents of the village of Juan Diaz - the most dense of the capital district - have come to protest against the felling of mangroves along its shores. The protesters allege that the cutting of mangroves and landfills are causing threats such as flooding and endangering migratory birds, and they are asking for the intervention of President Ricardo Martinelli. The protest grows after the authorities gave permission for the felling of mangroves, so they have called this Tuesday, May 5 as a day of grief and mourning in Panama. Thus, environmentalists and residents of Juan Diaz, who have condemned the ruling of the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court, which temporarily suspends the protected area status of the Wetland Wildlife Refuge of the Bay of Panama, they asked for the protection to not be removed from the mangroves. The resolution of the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama (ARAP), which decreases the fine for the illegal felling of mangroves, and which provides for the granting of permission to fell mangroves, has also been strongly questioned. Mangroves are known as a buffer against possible climate change because they immobilize large amounts of sediments rich in organic matter, and they are also a place of refuge for migratory birds and other species, which is why environmentalists oppose its devastation. (Estrella)

Editor's Comment: There's all kinds of mangrove swamp areas between Costa del Este and the Tocumen International Airport that has not been developed because it's all been protected areas. Now, those protections have been lifted so the area can be developed. There are still hundreds of miles of shoreline in Panama that are protected mangrove swamps, and the area in question isn't large enough to cause a significant impact one way or the other. The environmental radicals are another group that would like to impose their will on the way the country is being run. Like it or not, people want to be near the ocean, so that land is more valuable. Mangroves or no mangroves.