Indigenous community leaves islands amid threats of rising sea level, overpopulation

Produced by Desmond LaFave and Amaya Williams

GUNA YALA, Panama – Gardi Sugdub is one of the 365 islands that make up the San Blas archipelago in the Guna Yala province of Panama. The island is home to 1307 Guna, a group of indigenous people that have lived throughout the archipelago for centuries, after being driven offshore by disease and venomous snakes. Now, the lack of space for a growing population and rising sea levels have made many Guna consider moving back to the mainland.

The first relocation site is La Barriada, called Isper Yala in the Guna language. Isper Yala is a government-funded development set to house 300 families currently living on Gardi Sugdub. The mainland development is made up of uniform, non-traditional homes, and it has been in the works since 2010. However, organizational problems and the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the development’s finalization. Despite the delay – and in spite of several pending issues with the project – many residents from Gardi Sugdub are eagerly waiting their move to the “nuevo Gardi” within the next year.