Sunset Point on the Isla Colon has been named one of the “most environmentally friendly developments in all of Panama” by Esther Mena de Chio, the Governor of Bocas del Toro Province. The Bocas del Toro region is famous for its ecological diversity, and as a result has become an eco-tourism hotspot. The area is also home to the Bocas del Toro Research Station, a biological research station operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Station. According to the Smithsonian, “the Bocas del Toro province is a magnificent natural region with humid tropical forest, swamp forest and banana plantations in the terrestrial habitats and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs in the marine coast.”
Unfortunately Bocas del Toro has long held a reputation for having dishonest and often corrupt land developers. In this recent article on the subject, the author describes his past experiences with developers in Bocas del Toro attempting to sell isolated plots of land in the middle of a swamp. Fortunately the author claims that the Sunset Point development is a move in the right direction, as the developers have invested a huge amount in building the infrastructure of their project. According to the article, the developers have worked also with Smithsonian to make the project sensitive to the local ecosystem, and have planted native mangroves along the banks of the recently excavated canal. It is for these efforts that the Governor of the Province has given the development his praise.
The Sunset Point development is situated on a 200-acre piece of property that overlooks the Caribbean. According to their website, the community is planned to have 108 single family homes and 21 “villas” each composed of two or four units. The development is situated next to the largest living coral reef on the Isla Colon, and has a deepwater lagoon and marina. According to their website, the developers are looking forward to further cooperating with the Smithsonian, and hope to keep the reputation as one of “the most environmentally friendly developments in Panama.”
Click here for more information on Sunset Point, and check out this video from their website:
Sources:
Sunset Point does it Right in Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro Research Station
