Panama plans to reforest 1,320 hectares this year, to try to stop growing deforestation

With deforestation that reaches 32% of a territory of 75,517 km2, of which 74,177.3 km2 correspond to the land surface, Panama is preparing to reforest 1,320 hectares during 2026. Of the total to be reforested, 750 hectares will be in the La Villa river basin, in the province of Los Santos, while the rest will be in Panama Metro, East and North, in the province of Panama, in the region of Ñokribo, Comarca Ngäbe Bugle, and in the provinces of Veraguas, Coclé and Chiriquí. This reforestation campaign to be carried out this year represents a concrete step to care for and recover our nature, said the Minister of the Environment, Juan Carlos Navarro, during the launch of the 2026 environmental restoration and reforestation campaign. With joint work between the public sector, private companies and civil society, we demonstrate that when we unite efforts, we generate real positive impacts, Navarro said. He explained that the reforestation campaign plans to reforest the entire country with native species, through the work of the Forestry Directorate. The work will be focused mainly on protected areas, buffer zones, national lands and corridors along the rivers at the national level. The reforestation will be carried out with two reforestation companies that won the public tenders, under the guidelines of the General Directorate of Public Contracts. This Sunday, for To inaugurate the reforestation campaign, in the Soberanía National Park, in the hydrographic basin of the Panama Canal, the order to proceed was given to the company Environmental Consulting Services, Inc. (Ecos Panamá). It was used to begin the reforestation work of 50 hectares of degraded lands in the protected areas in the province of Panama (North and Metro), within the framework of the Strengthening Reforestation project, which has an amount of $131,877.50. On May 3 of each year, Panamanian farmers and producers celebrate the Day of the Cross, the date on which agricultural plantings traditionally begin to take advantage of the arrival of the first rains. The reforestation day contributes to the recovery of the natural ecosystem of the Soberanía National Park, where participants planted 200 seedlings of native tree species including Cocobolo, Panama, Guayacán, Fruta Pan and Espavé. These have higher survival rates with minimal maintenance and adapt better to local soils and rainfall. In addition to being fast-growing species, they capture carbon, contribute to the protection of water sources and favor biodiversity. Regarding the current situation of the copper mine located in Donoso, province of Colón, Minister Navarro said that the audit is progressing and that next week he expects to receive the sixth partial report. Once this document is delivered, the final report will be ready, which should be ready this month, the official told TVN. Now mining is not being done. The copper concentrate is being exported and the ammonium nitrate is being exported, which was the explosive that was there that had to be eliminated, he noted. The head of the Environment explained to the television station that there is currently a pile of rock that must be processed due to its environmental impact. It causes acidity in surface water, as well as in aquifers and groundwater, therefore, it must be processed, all while waiting for the audit to be completed and a final decision to be made on what we want to do with this mine, he stated.