Development sparks concern over Panama Bay

The price of growth is clear in Panama, as a multi-year boom in Central America's fastest-growing economy has unleashed a wave of development along the bay.

Environmentalists warn that the construction threatens one of the world's richest ecosystems and the habitat for vast numbers of North American shorebirds.

On top of that, half a million people, or about a sixth of all Panamanians, live close to the bay, and its mangrove trees and wetlands help break powerful water flows and absorb heavy rain. Strong flooding in 2004 killed 16 people in communities along the bay.


Source: Associated Press