Guatemala: Corredor Interoceanico: IMPACTS IN THE REGION: corridor,inter-oceanic,guatemala,trade,superpostpanamax, public private partnership,dry canal,intermodal,containers,land bridge,social pact,municipal associations,Atlantic,Pacific

IMPACT ON THE REGION

Economic Impact:

	Direct generation of wealth through payment of land to more than 3,500 families who are current owners in the region.
	Distribution of 12% of earnings in the 9 Municipal Associations.
	Direct, indirect, and induced generation of employment which amounts to approximately 30,000 jobs, 10% of which shall come from the port and logistic industr
	The country’s economy and salaries will be energized.
	Development of the country’s capital markets through investment and democratization of capital.

Environmental and Social Impact:

Regarding social and environmental concerns, Corredor Interoceánico de Guatemala, has carried out various and different studies to foresee the impact which this type of infrastructure will have on the region, in order to provide precise and adequate mitigation and compensation programs for each matter.

The purpose of these studies is to generate trust in the project’s environmental, social, and sustainable profile, needed to assure its viability, based on the following:

Fulfillment of the rules and regulations regarding the country’s environmental and social policies;

Environmental and social excellence, based for the most part on minimizing environmental risks and generating social integration and acceptance of the project; and

Fulfillment of international environmental and social standards, criteria, and commitments.

The expected environmental and social impact derived from construction and installation of the Corredor Interoceánico de Guatemala will be diverse; some positive, some negative.

Expected positive effects will be:

Improvement of maritime competitiveness;

Contribution to the territorial development model and to economic diversification;

Acceptance from society;

Improved quality of life for inhabitants and employment;

Easier implementation of security systems;

Energizing of sustainable transportation systems and decongestion of large transportation networks;

Increased intermodality of the transportation system;

Development of a real logistic chain;

Innovation of maritime transportation;

Reduction in emission of greenhouse effect gases, in consumption of energy and natural resources.

Expected negative effects will be:

Generation of acoustic and marine contamination;

Interference in other economic activities;

Damage to biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscape;

Affect on the coastline’s physical functionality;

Risk of accidents that may lead to ecological disasters;

Atmospheric contamination;

Risk of social and environmental conflicts;

Increased dumped and emitted residues;

Change in the use of the soil;

Alteration of biophysical conditions in infrastructure spaces and neighboring areas.

No significant negative effects have been found which cannot be curtailed by applying timely measures.

For adequate environmental and social integration of the Corredor Interoceánico de Guatemala, a series of measures involving planning, design, prevention, minimization, correction, and compensation have been proposed. These must be taken into account in the Corridor’s successive development projects. In some cases, they have been formulated as criteria to consider in the Corridor’s design. In others, they have to do with recommendations regarding execution and exploitation. Furthermore, a program for on-going environmental follow-up during execution of the Corridor has been established.