Show Archive
Tuesday 17th June 2025.
June 17, 2025
Our special guest in the last hour of todays program is Rob Getman from Marea Verde. We chat primarily about Panama’s “Seven Basins Project” is a significant initiative aimed at dramatically reducing plastic waste entering the Bay of Panama from the capital’s seven major urban rivers. This project is a collaboration between the Panamanian non-profit Marea Verde Foundation and the international non-profit The Ocean Cleanup.
Here’s a breakdown of the initiative:
* Goal: To significantly reduce the amount of waste, particularly plastics, that flows from Panama City’s seven major rivers into the Bay of Panama, a protected Ramsar site with high ecological value.
* Key Partners:
* Marea Verde Foundation: A local Panamanian organization that has been working since 2017 to mitigate solid waste pollution in rivers and coasts. They have a successful track record, notably with the “Wanda” project on the Juan Díaz River, which has prevented hundreds of tons of waste from reaching the ocean.
* The Ocean Cleanup: An international non-profit known for its “Interceptor” technologies designed to remove plastics from rivers before they enter oceans.
* Approach:
* Technology Deployment: The Ocean Cleanup will deploy its “Interceptor” technologies across the seven river systems to stop the flow of waste comprehensively.
* Environmental Education: The partnership will include environmental education programs to promote a “cultural change in waste management” among local communities.
* Local Collaboration: The initiative emphasizes coordinated work with local authorities and communities.
* Inspiration and Expansion: The project builds upon the successful experience of Marea Verde on the Juan Díaz River, where their floating barriers and collection systems have already prevented substantial amounts of waste from reaching the ocean. The “Seven Basins Project” aims to scale this impact across more rivers.
* Timeline: The project was launched in March 2025, with a goal to intervene in two key rivers, the Río Abajo and the Río Matías Hernández, by the end of 2025.
This initiative represents a holistic approach to tackling plastic pollution, combining advanced technology with local expertise and community engagement to protect Panama’s vital marine ecosystems.