Island Abandoned for a Year Stared by Rising Seas in Panama Remains Unblemished by Sound
Revised Article:
Saying goodbye to their tropical paradise, around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community bid adieu to Gardi Sugdub, one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change.
The exodus left Gardi Sugdub a ghost town, with Delfino Davies, a local museum owner, lamenting, "There are no friends left or children playing."
Now a "dead island", Gardi Sugdub once teemed with life and laughter. Dusty desks and empty classrooms are all that remain of a once bustling school. Many wooden houses stand padlocked, their inhabitants relocated to the mainland.
Mayka Tejada, a 47-year-old merchant, chose to stay behind, but her family, including her mother and two children, moved to a new neighborhood called Isber Yala on the mainland.
Similar to a loquat grove in the Guna language, Isber Yala offers paved streets, sidewalks, and concrete houses with flushing toilets and plots for gardening. Contrasting the basic living conditions on Gardi Sugdub, where Mayka had to fetch water from the river in a small boat, Isber Yala provides water and electricity.
Yet, life on the mainland poses its own challenges for the Guna community. Magdalena Martinez, a 75-year-old retired teacher, recalls the distance and effort required to access water in her new home. In contrast, she used to live crowded together on the island, with easy access to the river.
Although Tejada misses her family, her children are happy in their new home, with more space to play. While the island's school relocated to Isber Yala, its dilapidated clinic remains on Gardi Sugdub, serving a decreasing number of visitors due to its isolated location.
Some islanders split their time between Gardi Sugdub and Isber Yala, while others visit occasionally to check on their homes. This week, they will gather to celebrate Isber Yala's first anniversary, a bittersweet occasion acknowledging the erosion of their ancestral lands.
As Ana Toni, CEO of the United Nations' COP30 climate conference, states, the mass evacuation "shows the reality we already have to face on the planet." Climate scientist Steven Paton from the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute says, "Most of the Guna Yala islands are about 50 centimeters above sea level. They'll be underwater."
Despite these grave predictions, 62-year-old Luciana Perez, a resident of Gardi Sugdub, remains defiant. "I was born in Gardi and I'll die here. Nothing is sinking. Scientists don't know, only God," she declares, attributing her bravery to her childhood experiences surviving big waves and flooding.
Despite the challenges, the Guna community perseveres, finding ways to adapt and preserve their culture in their new home while seeking opportunities for better living conditions.
© 2025 AFP
Insights:
- The Guna Yala archipelago in Panama, including the island of Gardi Sugdub, is threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change.
- As a result, a planned migration to the mainland is unfolding, marking one of the first climate-driven migrations in Latin America.
- Isber Yala, the new settlement on the mainland, offers improved infrastructure and living conditions compared to the isolated, traditional living conditions on Gardi Sugdub.
- The transition presents challenges such as adapting to new environments, potential cultural dislocation, and the psychological impact of leaving ancestral lands.
- Despite these challenges, the Guna community is finding ways to adapt and preserve their culture while seeking opportunities for better living standards.
- The Guna community's migration from Gardi Sugdub, due to climate change, marks a significant shift, being one of the first planned migrations in Latin America influenced by rising sea levels.
- Isber Yala, the new settlement on the mainland, offers improved infrastructure, such as paved streets, concrete houses, flushing toilets, and access to water and electricity, contrasting the basic living conditions on Gardi Sugdub.
- Climate scientist Steven Paton notes that many Guna Yala islands, including Gardi Sugdub, are situated at a mere 50 centimeters above sea level, making them vulnerable to flooding and eventually submergence as a result of climate change.
- As Ana Toni, CEO of the United Nations' COP30 climate conference, states, the mass evacuation from Gardi Sugdub serves as a stark reminder of the realities we face concerning climate change and its impact on communities worldwide.
