The once-remote beach village of Playa Venao is suddenly booming with developers, tourists and expats. As visions collide, a town and a continent grapple with the environmental and community costs of newfound prosperity.
A construction vehicle drives along the beach in Playa Venao, Panama, on May 18, 2023. | Photos by Anusha Mathur for POLITICOAnusha Mathur is a journalist and audio producer, reporting on politics and the environment. She is a Pulitzer Center grantee and currently attends the University of Pennsylvania.Just a little more than a decade ago, Ángely Miranda would drive to the pristine, horseshoe-shaped bay of Playa Venao for, a traditional South American barbecue for family and friends.
Now, Miranda’s favorite beach is unrecognizable. Playa Venao of today has hotels lining the shore, mansions nestled on the hilltops and a vibrant downtown strip boasting trendy shops fashioned from repurposed Evergreen shipping containers. Miranda herself works as a receptionist atSelina, a beach front hotel and hostel, caters to a younger demographic who mostly travel to Playa Venao for surfing and partying.
Complicating the situation is the fact that growth and development are widely seen as the physical manifestation of the country’s rising position on the world stage. Panama’s stable transition to democracy and robust economy, the fastest growing in Latin America, have attracted droves of investors. U.S. Foreign Direct Investment in Panama was“Because of the history in Panama, the Noriega regime, the invasion, etc., people weren’t comfortable investing in Panama,” Wishnie said.
“All along the coast there’s been development,” Wishnie said. “It does create opportunity. It obviously also creates dislocation for rural communities because they change very quickly driven by forces external, exogenous to the communities.” “The owners’ idea was to have a little reforestation project,” Eco Venao head hotel manager Esteban Colo said. “But then the tourist explosion started in Playa Venao, and they said ‘hey, let’s start building a house and maybe a hostel.’ Now we have the cabañas on the beach and different accommodations.”While the project required initial investment, it is now self-sustaining with the revenue generated from hotel guests.
While the project required initial investment, Eco Venao is now self-sustaining with the revenue generated from hotel guests. | Courtesy of Eco Venao The impact of the pandemic-inspired development is now tangible; numerous massive building projects are underway, and the construction is overwhelming to many locals.
“It was something about the energy in this space.” Sivan said. “There were other people, but they were literally in their corners of the bay. We could still walk barefoot, meet a horse on the way and pet it.” “It’s nice to be in an isolated corner far away,” Sivan said. “But then again, we need to be on the street to be known. After all, it’s a business, of course. I need people to eat my food so I can feed my girls.”Tortugas Playa Venao volunteers help release a batch of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles during the 2022 hatching season. | Courtesy of Scott Crystallarmed by the environmental impact of development, members of the Playa Venao community have also taken direct action.
In its first year, Tortugas Playa Venao volunteers collected 55 nests and released 4,541 baby turtles. | Courtesy of Scott Crystal Those working with the government argue that the truth is more complex. Adrien Benedetti is the former director of Panama’s National Parks Program and current director of the 1,000 Kilometer Trails Project, a collaboration between Panama’s Tourism Authority andBenedetti acknowledges Crystal’s frustrations and said that many Panamanian environmental activists feel similarly.
“In all my years working here, the Ministry of Environment and the Tourism Authority weren’t really talking to each other or working together,” Benedetti said. “Especially after the pandemic, more people are aware of the vulnerability of rural communities, so there is a unique window to really make this happen. When I look at the future, I see a country that is a lot more comfortable with its nature.
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