EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
English Version
This report reviews the process that went into the creation of these maps, the database as well as the analysis of the political landscape. It offers a method that we strongly recommend repeating every six months, to keep the tools up to date and keep Punta Galeta's side of the debate informed.
Resumen Ejecutivo
Es más, el gobierno centralizado y la falta de representación local a nivel nacional han sido identificados como un obstáculo en la búsqueda de soluciones a estos problemas. Debido al aplazamiento de nuevos megaproyectos en las afueras de Isla Galeta, comprender el proceso subyacente del escenario en constante cambio es hoy más importante que en cualquier otro momento del pasado, especialmente si se quieren representar los intereses de Punta Galeta.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Host Institution
Contact Information
Number of equivalent full days spent on project
The protected landscape of Isla Galeta is an island located east of the city of Colon, on the Panamanian coast of the Costa arriba. This is complemented by the visualization of authority (diagram 3) which influences the efficient use of land.
CONTEXT OF STUDY
Introduction
This large-scale prospecting is seen as a threat not only to biodiversity, but also to the viability of the Punta Galeta Research Station as a research and educational institution. The station's scientists and staff have expressed grave concerns about the future of the protected landscape and surrounding ecosystems (Stanley Heckadon-Moreno, 2014).
This makes planning long-term scientific experiments or simply predicting change and lobbying for protection a daunting task and underlines the importance of better understanding the process of land use change in the outskirts of Colon, from its geographic reality to the framework political. of its unfolding. The current study aims to address both of these concerns, providing a physical geography and socio-political contextualization of the process of land use change as it unfolds in the suburbs of Colon.
If the forest buffer between the protected landscape and the construction zone were lost or endangered, the quality of the mangroves on Isla Galeta would in turn be affected. From studying maps and aerial photographs, it appears that most of the pressure on Isla Galeta comes directly south of the Punta Galeta access road, just as it turns off the Ave.
Review of relevant legal texts
The most important of these is Chapter 7 of the third segment, Derechos y Deberes Individuales y Sociales (Individual and Social Rights and Duties), which is entitled Regimen Ecológico (Ecological Regime). This section of the Constitution is included in its entirety, in its original Spanish, in Appendix II.
Ethical Considerations
A further law of interest is Ley 6 de 2002, which establishes standards for transparency in public affairs. The rights in Act 6 of 2002 are fundamental to a fair public consultation process such as that required for EIAs.
LAND USE & COVER - Update and Analysis of Trends
Introduction
Methodology
The agriculture and land cover map was created using the Environmental Services Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcMap 10.2 software package. Together, these manipulations enabled us to obtain a 2011 land use and land cover map for our study zone.
Results
On the occasion of a light aircraft flight generously provided by the NGO LightHawk in February 2014, we were able to collect land use and cover data through aerial photographs of the entire study zone. The result gives us a map of land use and land cover as our study zone stood on February 22, 2014, when the LightHawk flight took place.
Upon return, we revised our 2011 land use map using these photographs and edited land use classes and formations where necessary. We particularly note the 3,440,000 m2 of Colon Free Zone, which represents 5.9% of the total land area and 1.8 times the area of the Colon City urban center. development also constitutes an important land use class, with 2,238,000 m2 and 4%. of the total land area, together with Logistics Platforms, with 8.5% of the total land.
Indeed, it was impossible to compare our land use/land cover classes separately with those of Coen and Pollard (2003) because we redefined these categories for the purpose of this study. Our results show that the Forest class experienced a 15.0 point decline in the percentage of total area covered, almost offset by an 11.3 percentage point increase in the Deforested Area category (Appendix I.IV. Table 3 ).
Limitations
Thus, our study reveals the same deforestation trends as those mostly found in the literature (Dow 2008) and highlighted by Coen and Pollard (2003), but does not replicate the latter's findings of an increase in disturbed forests. Indeed, some clarification was needed to classify some of the land use and land cover categories, especially the distinction between forest and disturbed forest.
Discussion
Therefore, we are confident that the map created for the purposes of the Punta Galeta Research Station will consist of a sufficiently accurate and valuable tool. Such megaprojects have a profound effect on land use and land cover in the area and will need to be investigated in depth if we are to gain a comprehensive understanding of the deforestation phenomenon affecting the Colon area.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS – Exploring the process of change
Introduction
To understand the formal project development process as it mediates deforestation from Colones, we first constructed a database of recent development projects for our study zone. Another analytical level will be brought by our mapping of the projects within our study zones, which will allow for an analysis of the spatial distribution of project development around Colon.
Methodology
In most cases, digitization was performed by uploading the GPS coordinates of the project location collected from our EIA review. However, for approximately one-third of the projects, the GPS coordinates provided were inaccurate, inaccurate, or completely missing from the EIA.
Results
Finally, the first sheet of our project database was loaded into ArcMap 10.2 software and merged with the "Development_Projects" shapefile to display the information it contains on their associated polygons.
These observations can be attributed to significant variations in the average investment size associated with different project categories (Appendix I.II. Fig. 6). Although there are notable differences in average investment across project types, the interquartile ranges of investment overlap across all project categories, as portrayed by our boxplot representation of the data set (Appendix I.II. Fig. 7).
This new analytical tool shows a drop in Panama's financing share to just 15% of total investment and depicts a colony dominated by foreign presence and sources of financing. A majority (50%) of the region's total investment thus appears to come from the USA, with investments from e.g. Chevron.
Although at first glance it seems that the vast majority of investments are Panamanian, conversations with dr.
Limitations
Discussion
POLITICAL ANALYSIS – Understanding the drivers
Introduction
Methodology
He was also involved in the Foro Visión Colón, which was held around the future of the city and its side. We were able to meet with representatives of the AMP and ANTAI, while the MEF office said it was not their responsibility.
Results
Despite this, we have taken care to respect the three overarching themes we committed to follow in the original paper. These were: “Why is there port/industrial development around Colón?”, “Why is it so successful and fast?”, and “Why is information not readily available?”.
He described a "macro-level" plan (Ceras, Personal Communication, 2014), which is regulated by the MIVIOT and concerns the zoning of the land. The district level plan regulates the use of the land on a smaller scale, and the one for Colon is only focused on the Colon area.
It is surprising, yet encouraging, that the AMP, which is responsible for regulating Panama's port development, would be critical of the government for putting port development and marine trade ahead of the environment. The centralization of the system and lack of power given to regional offices is a major factor that keeps ANAM employees from doing their jobs.
Discussion
One of the interviewees, whose identity will not be revealed to protect their anonymity regarding this particular issue, even stated that the country would benefit from the closure of ANAM, as it would be better for no one to openly care about the environment than for the agency to pretends, to. Overall, our group of interviewees expressed that ANAM and the system it supports (for lack of a better word) are not adequate to ensure good environmental governance in Panama.
Limitations
This shows the roles of a selection of players and the communication patterns that exist between them.
Visions for the future – Conclusion of the political analysis
Finally, the director of ANTAI was ardent that for any change to enter politics, it must come from society and the education system needs reform to promote this change from within. Clearly, each interviewee took a slightly different approach to our questions and the discussion evolved in slightly different ways.
CONCLUSION
The Future of Colon: a Story of Diverging Scenarios
Recommendations: long term monitoring
Authors’ Final Conclusions
Retrieved from http://www.prensa.com/impreso/panorama/ejecutivo-vendeisla-manglares-estan-peligro April 2014). Mangrove Forests in the City of Colon: Status Analysis, Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact Assessment of Development Initiatives.
Figures
Maps
Charts
Diagrammatic representations
Tables
Other Built-up area whose use does not fall within one of the other categories (schools, hospitals, recreational areas, etc.). Port development Built-up area where maritime traffic is received and freight is directly loaded/unloaded.
Legal Texts
La presentación, ante la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente, de un estudio de impacto ambiental, según se trate de actividades, obras o proyectos, contenidos en el listado completo del reglamento de esta Ley. Una vez recibido el estudio de impacto ambiental, la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente se procederá al análisis, aprobación o rechazo del mismo.
Template of Semi-Structured Interviews
Do you feel that city planners and the administration of Colón have control over land use around Colón? Do you feel that the people of Colón are well informed about new and upcoming projects?
Proof of completion of TCPS 2: CORE Course
Research Calendar
Six days later, La Prensa published two articles by Ohigginis Jaramillo describing the scope and impacts of the proposed "Puerto Verde," which were picked up by the press. He notes that the environmental impact assessment does not offer sufficient analysis of the potential impacts of the project, be they legal, social or environmental (Arosemena & Ramos, 2013), and therefore recommends that it be rejected entirely.
