4 August 2008
Flaws in the environmental review process combined with negative social implications fuel fears of the Chan 75 hydroelectric project.
The consultation period for the carbon credit registration of the Chan 75 hydroelectric project in the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve in Bocas del Toro, Panama, is set to close August 8, 2008. The consultation was opened by the Executive Committee of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol.
There have been many flaws in the environmental review process of the project, which is located in a place designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1999. Numerous conservation organizations have warned that if the project is to be carried out as planned, it will deplete the migratory fish and shrimp populations of the reserve. Furthermore, critical information such as recent biological surveys conducted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) have never been publicly released.
The project impacts not only the region's plant and wildlife, but the human population as well. The government of Panama has committed several human rights violations in the resettlement of the native Ngobe population, one of the seven indigenous communities in Panama. In response, a petition to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission has been sent by the Alliance for Conservation and Development (ACD), and Cultural Survival, who expect the Commission to pass a resolution on the matter.
Individuals and organizations interested in preserving La Amistad Biosphere Reserve can submit their comments to the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism on or before Friday, 8 August by email to with the heading: Changuinola, Panama – COMMENTS including their name or the name of their organization. Comments can also sent by fax to TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH, Carbon Management Service, Fax ++49 89 5791-2756 adding name and organization.