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Paving the Path of the Quetzals (Cont.)

Panama, quetzal, conservation
A resplendent quetzal at rest (Courtesy www.cloudforestalive.org)
The president fares poorly in public opinion polls and, considering that a Panamanian president can't serve two terms in a row, many of her countrymen have expressed relief that she'll be obliged to step down from her post during the May 2 elections.

The good news for environmentalists is that all of the major presidential candidates in the upcoming election oppose the "Ecological Road" (including the candidate that Moscoso supports), and that if Moscoso is unable to push the project through before she leaves office, it's unlikely ever to be completed. But heavy construction equipment now sits at both ends of the proposed corridor, even as demonstrations increase in size and are met with growing force from police.

On December 11, ANCON filed its third lawsuit in connection with the road, this one claiming Moscoso's alterations to Volcán Barú's charter were illegal and violated international treaties establishing the park. But bribery scandals involving legislators who allegedly accepted millions of dollars to confirm Supreme Court justices—and Moscoso's close personal relationship with the presiding magistrate in these suits—have cast doubts on any notion of a fair hearing.

In the meantime, UNESCO has stated that it does not support the road, and Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the IUCN have all condemned the project. The World Bank, too, suggested it would not lend money to support the project and urged the evaluation of alternative routes.

In mid-February, the director of Panama's environmental department rejected the proposed road in an ecological-impact statement, and then immediately resigned (allegedly under pressure from Moscoso). A new director was then appointed, but he quit after just two weeks on the job, leaving the position in its current state—vacant. "It doesn't get any dirtier than this," ANCON's Lider Sucre commented about the situation.

But winter in Panama is drawing to a close, and the nasty, April-through-November rainy season promises to bring extremely muddy conditions that will make building the road nearly impossible. With Moscoso's term ending in September, environmentalists are crossing their fingers that time will run out on the "Ecological Road." Right now, the future hangs in the balance for the quetzals—who have no idea how to play smart—but with any luck, Mother Nature just might give the birds the last laugh.




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