Panama's sinking islands

Carti Sugtupu Island rests just 1,200 metres off Panama's northern coast, completely surrounded by the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea. Closely standing together, houses on the islet extend over the sea supported by stilts.

Inhabited by around 2,000 indigenous Guna people, life on the island is hard. There are no public services, or potable water and communal cubicles replace private toilets. The people survive by fishing, harvesting crops like cassava and plantain, traditional textile production and a bit of tourism. But life is about to change for the islanders. They're preparing to be relocated to the mainland, a move Magdalena Martinez is looking forward to.

Magdalena Martínez: "We want a home where we can live with dignity, with electricity 24 hours a day, with drinking water all day long, because here we have to collect water from the rivers. So, it would be a good thing for us. But there's also the cost. Here, we pay nothing."

Relocation to the mainland has proven necessary as a result of climate change. The San Blas Archipelago, including Carti Sugtupu, is under threat of sinking.

Steven Paton is a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Steven Paton: "This is an example of one of the islands. It was at an altitude of only half a metre, but with the current sea level rise, this island will not last longer than 20 or 30 years, at the most."

The Panamanian government, after much delay, has announced that by the end of 2023 or early 2024 it will move 300 families to the mainland to a newly constructed neighbourhood, complete with a school. Teacher Braulio Navarro is delighted.

Braulio Navarro: "Oh, I've been waiting for it for a long time. Yes, I'm happy, I'm happy! I want to move quickly. Yes, it's true because I know we will be better off there. I know it will be a bit difficult at first, but little by little we will get used to it. That's what I think. Yes, I'm happy."

The greatest fear of the Guna people is losing their traditions and their lifestyle when they move to the mainland, but Magdalena Martinez believes there's no doubt that their island spirit will remain.

Magdalena Martínez: "Yes, this will change our lifestyle quite a bit. But I want to make it clear that it won't change our spirit, it won't change our habits, it won't change our way of being."

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