The Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente) announced a one-year closure of Escudo de Veraguas Island to protect critically endangered ecosystems. In a statement, MiAmbiente detailed that it will carry out a restoration and environmental monitoring plan during the closure period to guarantee the conservation of this protected area, considered by scientists and experts as “the Panamanian Galapagos.” The recovery will be carried out with the support of the National Air and Naval Service, the Environmental Police, the Panama Maritime Authority and the Aquatic Resources Authority, who will reinforce surveillance to ensure compliance with the closure ordered by Resolution DM-0489-2025. In addition, the Ministry of Social Development and the Panama Tourism Authority will join in, implementing temporary programs for indigenous and Bocas del Toro communities, with training in responsible fishing, ecological restoration, and community-based ecotourism. “The communities are part of the process and we will talk with them,” said Minister Navarro. This measure was taken in response to environmental deterioration, including illegal construction, pollution with waste, overexploitation of marine resources, and alleged extraction of critically endangered species. During an inspection led by Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro, the situation was described as “a disaster,” with findings of buildings on reefs, illegal extraction of lobster and cambombia—a CITES-protected species—and harmful fishing practices like using chlorine to catch octopuses, which destroys coral and damages the marine ecosystem.
