Latest news with #GunaYala
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Residents forced to flee from 'disappearing island' due to heartbreaking crisis: 'There were no more friends, no more kids playing'
Rising sea levels are splitting communities apart in Gardí Sugdub and leaving people behind, possibly in danger. Gardí Sugdub, a small island off the coast of Panama, has been dubbed "the Americas' disappearing island" by the BBC as rising sea levels are swallowing up the land. One year ago, around 1,200 Indigenous Guna people were transported to the mainland by the Panama government for their safety as ocean waters encroached upon their community. New early-June reporting from Agence France-Presse has illustrated the human impacts of this displacement through the voices of island residents who have decided so far to stay behind. Delfino Davies, the owner of a small museum on Gardí Sugdub, told the AFP, "There were no more friends, no more kids playing — the place fell quiet like a dead island." Mayka Tejada said, "No one's here. Sometimes I feel sad when I'm alone," Scientists and advocates say the group of islands known as the Guna Yala archipelago, of which Gardí Sugdub is a part, could vanish by the end of this century. Some residents, though, are still choosing to stay. A local in her 60s, Luciana Pérez told the news agency, "I was born in Gardí and I will die here." Since 1880, global average sea level has increased by 8-9 inches, with the rate accelerating over the last few decades, according to the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Our reliance on burning dirty energy sources — such as oil, coal, and gas — means the production of huge quantities of heat-trapping gases that dramatically warm the planet and melt ice caps. The melting of these ice stores, in turn, drives sea level rise. Though freak weather events like floods and tsunamis have always existed, the scientific consensus is that human actions are heating the Earth in life-altering ways, contributing to more extreme and more frequent weather events. Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. These events are bad for the planet as a whole, but, so far, they are having some of the most devastating effects on coastal communities. As sea levels continue to rise, driving destructive floods and powerful storm surges, more and more people who live near the ocean will be forced further inland. Historically marginalized communities, including Indigenous groups and residents of low- and middle-income countries, are currently facing disproportionate impacts of displacement. As time goes on, even more will face those impacts if global coordination among world leaders and other stakeholders does not sufficiently mitigate climate disaster. The AFP described the efforts to move residents of Gardí Sugdub to the mainland as "one of Latin America's first planned climate change-related migrations." The Panamanian government built 300 houses to accommodate the newcomers. This shows that governments can play a part in protecting people impacted by rising sea levels and other extreme weather events. To prevent more ice caps and glaciers from melting, governments and stakeholders must come together to meaningfully address the planet's overheating, choosing sustainability over profit on a systemic level. From reducing the use of fossil fuels and conserving forests so trees can capture harmful carbon pollution to creating more eco-friendly agricultural systems, serious structural changes will be required to mitigate the sea level rise that is reshaping life on Earth. Executive director of COP30, Ana Toni, told the AFP, "Moving people from an island to somewhere else shows the reality the planet must now face." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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Travel + Leisure
25-06-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Shipwreck Could Hold $24 Million of Treasure—and You Could Hunt for It on This Exclusive Tour
Searching for buried treasure may be the stuff of legends and action movies, but thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime offering from luxury experiential travel company Pelorus Travel, it could actually be your next vacation. In 1699, a French frigate called the Maurepas sank in the remote San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama, taking a massive trove of treasure down with it. Believed to be carrying precious cargo from Charles II of Spain to King Louis XIV of France, the ship went down in waters belonging to the Guna Yala people, who say they have always known the wreck's location—but they've kept the site secret, believing the area to be tied to their cosmic origins. Divers exploring the legendary Maurepas. Now, for the first time in centuries, the Guna Yala tribe has opened the waters to exploration—and Pelorus was granted the exclusive opportunity to bring participants to join the search for an estimated $24 million in lost gold, silver, and jewels. The "Maurepas Treasure Hunt," bookable from June to November, will let a handful of intrepid (and deep-pocketed) travelers join the nonprofit ocean exploration team behind OceanX in a real-life hunt for sunken treasure off Panama's northern coast. Participants will spend their days diving uncharted waters alongside a seasoned salvage crew, scanning the seabed with a magnetometer, and filming for a forthcoming documentary on the expedition. Evenings will bring fireside talks with experts on the history of the Maurepas , the life of a modern-day treasure hunter, and maritime mysteries. Aerial view of the Pelorus ship sailing the Guna Yala waters. If the treasure is found, 70 percent of its value will return to the tribe, helping revitalize the community. Each treasure-hunt participant will receive a cut of the remaining proceeds plus $25,000 for taking part in the documentary. The price to join starts at $185,000 per person and includes accommodations for seven nights, access to dive gear (plus a scuba license for non-divers), expert guides, business-class flights, and insurance. Those seeking a more luxurious base can charter a private superyacht for an added fee. For bookings or questions, visit Pelorus Travel's website.
Travel Weekly
07-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Pelorus Travel expedition will search for sunken treasure near Panama
Want to embark on a treasure hunt for $24 million in gold, silver and gems? Look no further than Pelorus Travel. The bespoke luxury tour operator is offering a rare and ambitious experience this summer: to participate in a hunt for the Maurepas shipwreck and its treasure. The ship disappeared in 1699 near the Isthmus of Darien. The Guna people, an indigenous community in Panama, has known the shipwreck's location but kept it secret to protect their waters, Pelorus said. Diving in their waters is forbidden. But now, the community has granted exclusive access to the tour operator to try to unearth the fortune. If the treasure is located, 70% of the sales will go to the Guna Yala community and each treasure hunter will receive 4.94% return of the 30% share of the sales, the operator said. The expedition will be operated June through November alongside the Ocean X team and is also the subject of a documentary. Travelers will receive a $25,000 bonus from the film if the lost treasure is located. Pelorus is billing this adventure as a once-in-lifetime opportunity. The itinerary will feature the opportunity to explore the Guna Yala waters on a luxury catamaran or yacht; go diving to explore the seabed alongside the Ocean X team; and connect with the Guna people.
Malay Mail
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Panama's first climate exodus: Gardi Sugdub left empty as rising seas claim Caribbean homes
GUNA YALA ARCHIPELAGO (Panama), June 4 — Streets once filled with children's laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the threat of the sea swallowing their homes. The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. The exodus from Gardi Sugdub in the Caribbean left those who remained with a sense of sadness, said Delfino Davies, who has a small museum on the island with spears, jars and animal bones. 'There are no friends left or children playing,' he told AFP. Gardi Sugdub now has the silence of a 'dead island,' he said. An Indigenous Guna woman walks through a street at Gardi Sugdub island, in the Guna Yala Archipelago, Panama on May 27, 2025. — AFP pic Dusty desks and empty classrooms are all that remain of a school that once bustled with children. Many of the island's wooden houses are padlocked. 'There's no one here. Sometimes I get sad when I'm here alone,' Mayka Tejada, 47, said in the small store where she sells bananas, pumpkins, clothes, toys and notebooks. Like Davies and about 100 others, she decided to stay. But her mother and two children, aged 16 and 22, moved to one of the 300 houses built by the Panamanian government in a new neighborhood called Isber Yala on the mainland, a 15-minute boat ride away. Gardi Sugdub, the size of around five football fields, is one of 49 inhabited islands in the Guna Yala archipelago – also known as San Blas – which scientists warn is in danger of disappearing by the end of the century. 'I'll die here' Sitting in a hammock in her earthen-floor house filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs, 62-year-old Luciana Perez said she had no intention of leaving. 'I was born in Gardi and I'll die here. Nothing is sinking. Scientists don't know, only God,' she said. Perez said that she was not afraid because since she was a child she had seen big waves and rising waters flooding houses at times. Steven Paton, a scientist at the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, said climate change meant that sea levels were expected to rise by up to 80 centimeters. 'Most of the Guna Yala islands are about 50 centimeters above sea level,' he told AFP. 'They'll be underwater.' Ana Toni, CEO of the United Nations' COP30 climate conference, told AFP that the mass evacuation 'shows the reality we already have to face on the planet.' An aerial view of Gardi Sugdub island, in the Guna Yala Archipelago, Panama taken on May 27, 2025. — AFP pic Sidewalks, water, electricity The arrival of the rainy season has left puddles dotting the dirt roads of Gardi Sugdub. In contrast, in the new settlement of Isber Yala – 'land of loquats' in the Guna language – the streets are paved and have sidewalks. The nearly 50-square-meter (500-square-feet) concrete houses have flushing toilets and there is a plot of land to grow vegetables. On Gardi Sugdub 'we lived crowded together, and I had to go fetch water from the river in a small boat,' said Magdalena Martinez, a 75-year-old retired teacher. In Isber Yala, water is available for an hour in the morning, she said. 'I can fill the buckets. And I have electricity 24 hours a day,' said Martinez, who lives with her granddaughter in the new neighborhood. Tejada's children also have no regrets about leaving the island, she said. 'I miss them, but they're happy there. They have a place to play football and walk around,' Tejada said. An aerial view of the new mainland neighbourhood of Isber Yala, meaning 'land of loquats' in the Guna language, in the Guna Yala Comarca, Panama on May 27, 2025. — AFP pic While the island's school relocated to Isber Yala, its dilapidated clinic remained in Gardi Sugdub. 'Before, people came on foot. Now, they have to travel by land and sea to get here. There are fewer visitors,' said 46-year-old doctor John Smith. Some of the islanders divide their time between the two communities, while others visit occasionally to check on their homes. This week, there will be more activity than normal: seven jars of chicha – a fermented corn drink – are ready for Isber Yala's first anniversary. Martinez is looking forward to the celebration, even though it will be bittersweet. Although she may not see it herself, 'the islands will disappear because the sea will reclaim its territory,' she said. — AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Year after Exodus, Silence Fills Panama Island Threatened by Sea
Streets once filled with children's laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the threat of the sea swallowing their homes. The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change. The exodus from Gardi Sugdub in the Caribbean left those who remained with a sense of sadness, said Delfino Davies, who has a small museum on the island with spears, jars and animal bones. "There are no friends left or children playing," he told AFP. Gardi Sugdub now has the silence of a "dead island," he said. Dusty desks and empty classrooms are all that remain of a school that once bustled with children. Many of the island's wooden houses are padlocked. "There's no one here. Sometimes I get sad when I'm here alone," Mayka Tejada, 47, said in the small store where she sells bananas, pumpkins, clothes, toys and notebooks. Like Davies and about 100 others, she decided to stay. But her mother and two children, aged 16 and 22, moved to one of the 300 houses built by the Panamanian government in a new neighborhood called Isber Yala on the mainland, a 15-minute boat ride away. Gardi Sugdub, the size of around five football fields, is one of 49 inhabited islands in the Guna Yala archipelago -- also known as San Blas -- which scientists warn is in danger of disappearing by the end of the century. 'I'll die here' Sitting in a hammock in her earthen-floor house filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs, 62-year-old Luciana Perez said she had no intention of leaving. "I was born in Gardi and I'll die here. Nothing is sinking. Scientists don't know, only God," she said. Perez said that she was not afraid because since she was a child she had seen big waves and rising waters flooding houses at times. Steven Paton, a scientist at the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, said climate change meant that sea levels were expected to rise by up to 80 centimeters. "Most of the Guna Yala islands are about 50 centimeters above sea level," he told AFP. "They'll be underwater." Ana Toni, CEO of the United Nations' COP30 climate conference, told AFP that the mass evacuation "shows the reality we already have to face on the planet." Sidewalks, water, electricity The arrival of the rainy season has left puddles dotting the dirt roads of Gardi Sugdub. In contrast, in the new settlement of Isber Yala -- "land of loquats" in the Guna language -- the streets are paved and have sidewalks. The nearly 50-square-meter (500-square-feet) concrete houses have flushing toilets and there is a plot of land to grow vegetables. On Gardi Sugdub "we lived crowded together, and I had to go fetch water from the river in a small boat," said Magdalena Martinez, a 75-year-old retired teacher. In Isber Yala, water is available for an hour in the morning, she said. "I can fill the buckets. And I have electricity 24 hours a day," said Martinez, who lives with her granddaughter in the new neighborhood. Tejada's children also have no regrets about leaving the island, she said. "I miss them, but they're happy there. They have a place to play football and walk around," Tejada said. While the island's school relocated to Isber Yala, its dilapidated clinic remained in Gardi Sugdub. "Before, people came on foot. Now, they have to travel by land and sea to get here. There are fewer visitors," said 46-year-old doctor John Smith. Some of the islanders divide their time between the two communities, while others visit occasionally to check on their homes. This week, there will be more activity than normal: seven jars of chicha -- a fermented corn drink -- are ready for Isber Yala's first anniversary. Martinez is looking forward to the celebration, even though it will be bittersweet. Although she may not see it herself, "the islands will disappear because the sea will reclaim its territory," she said.
