The Nicaragua Canal has been discussed for decades, but the reasons for the apparent rush to approve its creation “are unclear at this point”, says biologist Jorge A. Huete-Perez, president of the Academy of Sciences of Nicaragua.
Years ago, says Huete-Perez, “at least one previous impact study on a possible canal through Lake Nicaragua resulted in the project being deemed too destructive [to the environment]”. He argues that Nicaragua is not technologically prepared for the construction and doesn’t have enough scientists to deal with the possible environmental damage.
Barry Chernoff, Schumann professor of environmental studies at the Wesleyan University in the United States, says: “The canal would be a disaster for biological diversity and ecology. It could undo millions of years of evolution in Central American freshwater and marine [animals]”.