opinion

For a moratorium on strip mining

by 10 Panamanian environmentalist organizations

In 1997 the government of Panama issued a contract and law conceding to Minera Petaquilla SA company the right of exploitation --- for a total of 60 years --- of gold, copper and other minerals in a 13,600-hectare area in zone known as Cerro Petaquilla, in Colon province's Donoso district. The concession is located in the heart of the Meso-American Biological Corredor on Panama's Atlantic side, a zone of rich biodiversity that begins in Mexico and reaches Panama's Darien province.

After nearly 10 years of inactivity due to low prices of gold and copper on the international market, Minera Petaquilla began construction work this year --- roads, camps and other structures necessary for the operation of a mine --- with the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) having approved even the environmental impact studies that the current legislation demands.

This situation of open violation of the law, added to the undeniable adverse environmental effects that strip mining has, are the reasons for our petition for a moratorium on this activity, made to the President of the Republic, Martín Torrijos, by the principal organizations that struggle for the protection of nature in Panama.

Ten years after the approval of the Petaquilla mining concession contract, Panama faces the challenge of protecting its rich biodiversity and justly achieving important economic benefits for doing so. Strip mining runs contrary to this approach and thus we ask for a rigorous and transparent debate that permits Panamanians to make an informed decision about their future.

The examples of the destruction that strip mining causes abound. There's still time to choose the best approach to a true development that benefits all Panamanians.

National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON)

Panama Audubon Society

Panamanian Center for Social Studies and Action (CEASPA)

Environmental Intervention Center - Panama (CIAM)

International Center for Environmental Empowerment (CICA)

MarViva Foundation

Panama Verde

Pro Mar Foundation

Private Nature Reserves Network

Albatross Foundation