Description
Panama wants to clean up its mining industry and relaunch it as one of the country's economic powerhouse. The government is updating its mining laws and selling some 25,000 hectares, which includes the Petaquilla gold mine that was abandoned and its workers left unpaid. While the government believes that mining may account for 8% of its GDP, environmentalists think it will cause irreparable damage to the country's biodiversity. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES