Construction has begun on a new international airport in El Salvador despite ongoing concerns that the project will lead to rapid development near vulnerable wetlands and other coastal ecosystems. Officials broke ground February 25 on the Airport of the Pacific near the coastal town of La Unión, in eastern El Salvador, an area rich in mangrove ecosystems that support wildlife and prevent coastal erosion. Many communities in the area worry that the airport will spark a wave of unregulated development that could result in even more environmental damage. “Even if deforestation seems minimal at first, in the long run, it has a major effect because we’re cutting into the ecological balance of these territories,” José Maria Argueta, program director for local NGO the Mangrove Association, told Mongabay. The airport will be El Salvador’s first commercial international hub outside of the capital San Salvador, increasing connectivity with the less developed eastern departments like La Unión and San Miguel. It will feature at least six jet bridge bridges capable of serving 80,000 passengers, creating an estimated 23,722 jobs during construction and 4,700 jobs once it begins operation, according to the country’s Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA). Over the next decade, the project is expected to generate 50,000 direct and indirect jobs and boost the national GDP by 1.5%, according to President Nayib Bukele, who spoke at a press conference during the airport’s groundbreaking ceremony. “The Airport of the Pacific is not just an air terminal,” Bukele said. “It’s a gateway to development, tourism,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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