ABSTRACT
The ecological situation in the Bayano, by all accounts, continues to deteriorate. The prime causes are the extensive lumbering and the increase of pasture land. Both activities have led to rapid deforestation which affects the region's flora and fauna, agricultural activities, and the productive life of the dam. People have reported an increased scarcity of wild game. The regional destruction described above might seem of little consequence if ultimately the construction of the Bayano Dam had benefited the nation as a whole. In that case, the dislocation of some 4,000 people and the loss of their livelihood might not be a heavy price to pay. The government took pride in the fact that it has successfully completed a major development project which used the country's own resources. Everywhere in government offices and public places, pictures of the Bayano Dam were hung with the motto "The Revolution Creates and Constructs."
