http://www.pancanal.com/eng/cgi-bin/news/boletin.cgi?submit=Consulta&item=108
Date:
06-03-2003
Subject:
Panama
Canal
Authority and the Nature Conservancy Partner to
Conserve
Canal
Watershed
Canal
Authority Also Announces Signing of a Letter of Intent with USAID
Preserving
Biodiversity And Water Resources A Priority
Panama
City, Panama, June 3, 2003 - The Panama Canal Authority (ACP)
announced a landmark environmental agreement with The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) to create and promote policies that preserve the
Panama Canal watershed - with special emphasis on the Chagres River
area. The ACP and TNC have a common goal of protecting and preserving
the rainforests and other natural resources of the watershed, which
supplies the water for the operation of the
Panama
Canal
and the drinking water for
Panama
's
two largest cities,
Panama
City
and
Colon
.
The
two groups have agreed to work together to combat deforestation,
guarantee a healthy biodiversity and implement pro-active
environmental policies for the watershed. Their work will be largely
modeled on the best practices gleaned from The Nature Conservancy's
work in the
Chagres
River
Basin
and the
Chagres
National
Park
in
Panama
,
where TNC sought to expand park limits, increase efficiency and
improve management of the protected area through endowments,
co-management agreements and stricter monitoring.
ACP
Administrator, Alberto Alem’n Zubieta, and the President of TNC,
Steven J. McCormick, signed the agreement in 2003. Since its creation
after the transfer of the Canal to
Panama
in 1999, the ACP has been committed to preserving the watershed, which
it administers and maintains in cooperation with the government of
Panama
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Nature Conservancy, an
environmental NGO, aims to preserve plants, animals and their natural
habitats by protecting the land and water they rely on to survive.
Since
Panama
is home to 900 bird species and has one of
Central
America
's
untouched rainforests, TNC works with the country's leading
environmental organizations to protect
Panama
's
impressive biodiversity.
Alberto
Alem’n Zubieta hailed the agreement as an example of the ACP's
commitment to the environment and sustainable development. "
Successful
Canal
operations entail caring for the environment around the Canal, such as
the watershed. The watershed is the lifeblood of the Canal and
provides vital water for
Panama
's
major cities, such as
Panama
City
,
Colon
and La Chorrera. Running the Canal as a business, we are always
looking for partners and strategic alliances that will help us run the
Canal reliably while maintaining the watershed."
The
ACP also announced the signing of a letter of intent with USAID for
parallel financing of programs and projects in pilot sub-watersheds in
the
Panama
Canal
watershed. Both the ACP and USAID agreed to invest in the programs and
projects identified in the action plans, based on assessments of the
sub-watersheds selected. It is anticipated that these pilot activities
will serve as models that can be replicated throughout the Panama
Canal Watershed.
"This
achievement, coupled with our announcement with the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID), demonstrates that the
Panama
Canal
is making great strides on the environmental front," concluded
Alem’n Zubieta.
About
the
Panama Canal
The
Panama Canal Authority is the autonomous agency of the Government of
Panama in charge of managing, operating, and maintaining the
Panama
Canal
.
The operation of the Panama Canal Authority is based on its organic
law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors. For more
information, please refer to the website: www.pancanal.com.
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/cgi-bin/news/boletin.cgi?submit=Consulta&item=4
Date:
11-06-2000
Subject:
Panama
Canal
Authority Participates in Environmental Congress
Panama
,
November
6, 2000
.
Panama
Canal Authority (ACP) representative Juan Hector Diaz traveled to
Amman
,
Jordan
,
to participate in this year’s World Congress of Nature, one of the
most significant environmental conferences in the international arena.
The Congress was organized by the UICN (International Union for Nature
Conservancy), a pioneer environmentalist group created 52 years ago.
On
invitation from The Nature Conservancy, the Canal Authority
contributed to the conference with a discourse on the Canal watershed
sustainable development program presented by Diaz, Director of the ACP
Department of Safety, Environment, and Security. Additional
participants from
Panama
included Elena Lombardo for the Natura Foundation, who presented a
synopsis of their work in the area of sustainable development, as well
as the National Authority for the Environment (ANAM), the Applied
Science Study Circle (CECA), and the National Association for Nature
Conservancy (ANCON). Also in attendance were nearly 2,000 delegates
from the 79 member countries of the UICN, a widely encompassing
organization comprised of 112 state environment and development
organizations, 735 international NGOs and 10,000 scientists and
experts from 181 countries.
On
behalf of the
Panama
Canal
,
Mr. Diaz reiterated the ACP’s commitment to become a leader in
worldwide sustainable development programs through Canal watershed
conservation efforts. One of the key elements of the ACP sustainable
development program is a permanent dialogue between the Canal
organization and the communities-at-large, while promoting active
community participation with regard to the issue. “With proper
management of the region, productive activity can be achieved without
failing to preserve the rich biodiversity in the new protected
areas,” asserted Diaz.
The
Panama
Canal
watershed, an area of approximately 552 thousand hectares, represents
roughly seven percent of
Panama
’s
entire national territory. Six protected forest and national park
areas occupy more than 125 thousand hectares of the total watershed
area.
The
ACP presentation was well received as indicated by positive comments
from the World Commission on Dams, an organization which functions
under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Program, the
World Bank and the UICN, among others. The Canal organization seized
the opportunity to invite the Commission to hold a summit in
Panama
,
which would include the participation of other countries in the
region.
The
World Congress of Nature themes for 2000 were concentrated on the
relationship between natural resource conservation and security. In
addition, methods for promoting peace and socioeconomic stability
through transnational cooperation were addressed and analyzed.
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