While the sea appears calm off the coast of Chiriquí, beneath its surface, changes are brewing that we cannot ignore. The Puerto Barú port project in Chiriquí aims to open a navigation channel through the David Mangroves protected area, a species protected by Law 304 of 2022.

According to the independent technical report by Lynker (2024), dredging would require the removal of more than 9 million cubic meters of sediment, generating dispersal plumes that could extend for several kilometers and reduce the mangroves’ capacity to protect the coast from erosion. Furthermore, Puerto Barú has a depth of only a few meters at low tide, which implies continuous and costly dredging to allow the passage of medium-sized vessels.

📍Video in Puerto Cabrito, within Bahía Muerto, the point where the Puerto Barú project proposes to open its navigation channel

The warnings are significant: “Dredging activities in the navigation channel will have detrimental effects on the mangrove ecosystem due to sedimentation, changes in salinity, and disruption of ecological connectivity” (Lynker, p. 6). It also points out that the dispersal model used by the project proponents “did not follow best scientific practices,” which calls into question the validity of its environmental conclusions (p. 7).

Puerto Armuelles, on the other hand, already has naturally deep waters, which “would eliminate the need for costly capital and maintenance dredging” (Lynker, 2025, Executive Summary, p. 1) and reduce risks to sensitive ecosystems.

Dredging doesn’t just remove sand; it removes the life that sustains Panama as a coastal country. Choosing a port that has already been built, Armuelles emphasizes, highlights that sustainable development is possible if existing port alternatives are used.

Let’s move toward development that doesn’t destroy what protects us!