What Happened
Panama’s Ministry of Environment has begun a technical and scientific review of the possible impact of the Puerto Barú project in David, Chiriquí, after UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee raised concerns about its potential effects on Coiba National Park.
The committee’s Decision 47 COM 7B.39 asks Panama to provide updated information on the project and its possible consequences for the protected site, which has been on the World Heritage List since 2005.
Miambiente said it is evaluating the scope of the international concern and the measures the state may need to take to prevent any harm to an area recognized for its Outstanding Universal Value.
Why Coiba Matters
Coiba National Park and its Special Marine Protection Zone are among Panama’s most important natural assets. The site carries international conservation commitments that require monitoring, management, and periodic reporting to the World Heritage system.
Because of that designation, any major development that could affect the park’s ecological integrity attracts close scrutiny. The current review places Puerto Barú within that broader conservation framework, linking a private infrastructure project in western Panama to an internationally protected marine and terrestrial ecosystem.
How the Review Will Work
As part of the process, Miambiente requested a technical advisory mission from the World Heritage Centre. The ministry said the goal is to strengthen the national team’s ability to apply specialized methods for assessing impacts on World Heritage sites.
Panama must submit an updated report on Coiba before December 1, 2026, and the technical mission requested by the state is expected to take place in mid-2026. Those deadlines set the pace for a review that could shape how the country manages the project alongside its conservation obligations.
Competing Views on Puerto Barú
The debate over Puerto Barú has also highlighted sharply different assessments of risk. Joana Abrego, legal manager of the Centro de Incidencia Ambiental, said the committee’s decision followed a review of information previously sent by Panama, including a May 23, 2024 note from Miambiente that said the project would not generate direct or indirect impacts on Coiba or its marine protection zone.
On the project side, environmental lawyer and legal consultant Harley Mitchell Morán said the port’s ecological footprint does not reach Coiba or its buffer zone under Law 44 of July 2004. He said the estuary where the port would be developed is about 92 kilometers from the park’s buffer area, making it unlikely that sediments from port activity would reach the island.
The project’s promoters have also said there are no official evaluations confirming possible impacts on the park and that oceanographic studies in the area indicate marine currents do not flow toward Coiba.
What Puerto Barú Is
Puerto Barú has been promoted as a green multipurpose port and one of the largest private investments in Chiriquí. Its backers say it is designed to connect logistics, agricultural, and tourism activities and strengthen western Panama’s access to international markets.
The project is located about 18 kilometers from downtown David and near Enrique Malek International Airport, a position the company describes as strategically important for regional economic growth.
The outcome of Panama’s technical review, along with the report due in 2026, will be central to determining how the international community views the compatibility of Puerto Barú with the conservation commitments tied to Coiba’s World Heritage status.