It has been announced that the research center for environmental quality will be built in Santa Maria, Herrera Province, in an area measuring four acres.

From a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment in Panama:

Panama, July 28, 2015. The District Board of Santa Maria, in the province of Herrera, endorsed the construction of an Environmental Quality Laboratory in the community of Los Canelos in Divisas that will measure the most relevant environmental variables for the region and contribute to scientifically based decision making for solving water problems and maintaining a continuous monitoring of our watersheds, rivers and soils in Azuero.

The regional director of the Ministry of Environment in Herrera, Guillermo Nicholson, said that this work will mean a breakthrough in environmental management in the region, as currently all samples must be sent to the laboratory in the capital city, which means a longer wait. “With this laboratory, in Divisa, it will speed up the results of the samples collected,” he said.