Reporting on climate, conservation, and ecological issues in Panama. We highlight scientific findings, policy responses, and community sustainability efforts.
Panama’s environmental authorities are warning that El Niño could worsen drought risk by exposing the country’s water sources to deforestation and poor land-use planning. The call is for communities to help protect watersheds before dry conditions intensify.
Panama set a honey production record in 2025, reaching 67,620 gallons from 15,529 hives. The milestone underscores the sector’s growth, even as climate pressures, hive health issues and imported honey continue to challenge local producers.
Panama’s Reef Committee has asked President José Raúl Mulino to veto Bill 571, saying it weakens protections for coral reefs and coastal ecosystems. The dispute now centers on how the country balances development, marine conservation and climate resilience.
Cerro La Cruz has reopened in Altos de Campana, restoring access to one of Panama Oeste’s best-known ecotourism spots. The move supports hiking, local tourism, and conservation in a key protected area.
Panama’s Environment Ministry has launched a strategic alliance to identify and protect biodiversity hotspots, with a focus on endangered species such as the golden frog. The plan also highlights Indigenous knowledge and the need to confront deforestation, water pollution, and waste problems.
Panama’s updated National Atlas will go online in 2026, bringing together 60 years of cartographic history and a decade of new data. The digital edition will add expanded coverage of health, climate, seismic risk and recent census results.
Global energy and food shocks are accelerating interest in bioeconomy as a strategic alternative to fossil-dependent production. Latin America’s biodiversity and agricultural capacity could give the region a major role in the transition.
Panama has launched land and environmental mapping for the Panama-David rail project, starting with the Panama-Divisa corridor in Phase 1. The survey will identify properties, forest areas and communities that could be affected as the megaproject advances.
Panama’s Amador Causeway remains tied up in stalled concessions, unpaid debts and legal disputes nearly 30 years after the former U.S. base reverted to the country. The unresolved situation has also raised concerns about unauthorized land filling and the loss of a major waterfront opportunity.
Panama City has begun the process to rehabilitate four municipal pools in Betania, San Francisco and Calidonia with a B/.4.5 million investment. The project includes structural repairs, neighborhood upgrades and three years of maintenance.
The Panama Canal is keeping lake levels high and maintaining 38 daily transits as it prepares for possible El Niño-related pressure later in 2026. Officials are using water-saving measures now to protect both canal operations and Panama’s drinking water supply.
Latin America’s 2025 climate extremes, including record heat and rising sea levels, carry direct implications for Panama’s coasts, water supply, and disaster readiness. The region’s hotter, wetter, and more volatile weather underscores growing risks for agriculture, infrastructure, and the Panama Canal.
Panama’s recycling efforts remain fragmented, with residents and institutions doing the work of a system that does not yet exist nationwide. The gap between public ambition and waste infrastructure is now one of the country’s biggest environmental challenges.
Leaning buildings do not always fall because the cause is often in the ground below, not the structure above. The lesson from Pisa and Amsterdam is that monitoring foundations early can prevent a tilt from becoming a disaster.
Panama has permanent recycling collection points in several provinces, offering residents a place to drop off materials like cardboard, glass and other recoverables. A public directory helps households find nearby centers as recycling access continues to grow.
Azuero’s water crisis in Herrera and Los Santos has become a costly routine, with more than 100,000 people relying on cistern trucks after contamination crippled treatment plants. Emergency spending has topped $2 million as the region waits for a lasting fix.
Panama’s water crisis was diagnosed more than a decade ago, but leaks, aging infrastructure and weak management still dominate the system. The debate now is how to build a more autonomous, professional model for a basic public service.
Cerro Sonsonate in San Miguelito is at the center of a debate over high-density development, green space, and the environmental costs of urban expansion. The dispute highlights how growth in Panama’s capital region can affect heat, drainage, traffic, and public health.
Black soldier fly larvae are emerging in Panama as a promising way to process organic waste into animal feed and fertilizer. Researchers and institutions see it as part of a broader circular economy solution.
SINAPROC has issued a warning for rough seas and strong winds along Panama’s Caribbean coast, driven by stronger trade winds in the basin. The alert is aimed at reducing risks for coastal communities and maritime activity.