Trans-Panama Pipeline - Environmental Facts and Concerns

Environmental Facts and Concerns

From the beginning of operations, many environmental concerns have been considered by scientists and environmental activists, but the PTP, never have been worried for major damage to environment. The best proof of the fact is that this project "was approved approved and completed in 1981–1982 before submission of an environmental impact assessment". The environmental studies were seriously flawed by many omissions in the biotic, and socioeconomic baseline. PTP never put serious attention to possibility of oil spill in marine or terrestrial ecosystems. For example "studies of petroleum hydrocarbons in the marine ecosystems were not performed". This big-project had produced big erosion of thousands tons of soil. Many forests, rivers and creeks were destroyed or changed deeply in ecological terms. This pipeline construction in the mountains of Fortuna (Boquete and Gualaca) in Central Cordillera was later the base for the construction of the first road from Chiriqui to Bocas del Toro. The road construction was positive in social terms, but it do not was planned and the environmental impacts in virgen forests have increased the biodiversity losses in Palo Seco Forestal Reserve and buffer area along the coast from Chiriqui Grande to Almirante-Changuinola and Comarca Ngäbe-Bugle.