The sustainability of the Panama Canal over 108 years of operation is the best example of a cause shared by many. The viability of the water route requires an interdisciplinary collaboration of institutions, the private enterprise and civil society, in order to endure over time.

Leading the strategic alliances is the Interinstitutional Commission of the Panama Canal Watershed (CICH). This commission, which has its legal basis in the organic law of the Canal, harmonizes efforts, best interests, initiatives and resources for the integrated management and conservation of the natural and human resources of the Watershed.

In turn, this mission has produced new collaborations. In this edition, we will learn about the Sustainable Development and Decarbonization Strategy (SDDS) and the Indicative Environmental Land Use Plan (PIOTA) of the Panama Canal Watershed (PCWB), which were developed through non-reimbursable technical cooperation from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In the long term, the perspective gained from the scientific monitoring of the canal region has revealed a climate change that is on the rise. Without this perspective, it would be impossible to solve the technological challenges that these changes impose not only on the Canal, but on the nation itself. The conclusions drawn from the study of hydrometeorological measurements benefit enormously from scientific news and discoveries shared by the international community. Such is the case of the biomolecular study of cycadophyte plants carried out by Panamanian biologist Lilisbeth Rodriguez, which will provide important data on climate variability and sustainability in the canal watershed.

The collaborative spirit is in our history. After the independence of the Americas, Simón Bolívar envisioned Panama as a link between the new republics, and his Amphictyonic Congress of 1826 left deep traces in the multilateralism to come.

The Panama Canal is a cause that unites us to the world and fills us with pride.

Marianela Dengo de de Obaldía
Vice President for Communications and Corporate Image