Gardi Sugdub

Gardi Sugdub, also spelled Cartí Sugtupu,^[2] is an island in the San Blas Archipelago in the Panamanian comarca indígena of Guna Yala, 400m long and 150m wide.^[1] It is the southernmost and largest of four populated Carti Islands (the others are Cartí Tupile in the north, Carti Yandup in the west, and Carti Muladub in the east),^[3] and lies 1200 meters off the northern coast of mainland Panama.^[4][5][6] The island houses a small harbour and a museum. Its indigenous inhabitants are Guna.^[2][7][8]

Cartí Sugtupu Carti Suitopo
Satellite image of the Carti Islands
Cartí Sugtupu Show map of Guna Yala Cartí Sugtupu Show map of Panama
Coordinates: 09°28′14″N 78°57′40″W
Country	Panama
Comarca indígena	Guna Yala
Area
• Total	0.037 km2 (0.014 sq mi)
Population  (2025)
• Total	100[1]

Discussions of relocation to a site on the mainland thanks to overpopulation on the island were first raised by Guna elders in 2008. The Panamanian government constructed the new village of Isber Yala between 2015 and 2024, construction being delayed due to funding issues, and following its completion in June 2024, 300 families moved from Gardi Sugdub into the new village.^{[8][7][9][1][10][11][12]}

Although nearby, the new settlement is forested rather than having the same relationship with the sea. Residents described the move with sadness as a major lifestyle change that leaves behind more than 200 years of culture.^[2]

The community has been described as the first in Panama to be displaced by climate change, with the government of Panama predicting that rising sea levels will result in the island as well as several other islands in the archipelago being completely underwater by 2050.^[13][1] The community of Gardi Sugdub rejects this characterization of the move, pointing out that the size of the island has increased over time thanks to land reclamation by its residents, and that the Guna people did not evacuate their homes even after the 1882 Panama earthquake resulting in waves of 3 metres, far exceeding any forecast sea level rise.^[9]

Cartí Sugtupu can be reached by boat from the nearby onshore settlement of Carti, near Isber Yala, which is connected to the main Panamanian road network. The other island groups of the San Blas archipelago, including El Porvenir, Cayos Limones, and Cayos Holandeses, can be reached by taxi boat.

References

1. Cañada, Gonzalo; Latourrette, Agustina (8 February 2025). "'We left pieces of our life behind': Indigenous group flees drowning island". BBC News.
2. Delacroix, Matías; Zamorano, Juan (1 June 2024). "Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea levels". AP News. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
3. [xttps://satellites.pro/plan/Carti_Tupile_map#O9.474090,-78.960741,17 "Map of Carti Tupile (Panama, Guna Yala)"]. Satellites.pro. Retrieved 8 June 2024. Change "xttps" to "https" to open.
4. "Carti". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
5. Davidson, Jayne (3 October 2013). "Living with the Kuna: Carti Tupile, San Blas Islands, Panama". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
6. "Carti Island Nautical Chart". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2014 – via BlogSpot.
7. Pressly, Linda (20 September 2017). "The island people with a climate change escape plan". BBC News. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
8. McCleland, Jacob (12 November 2015). "Rising Sea Levels Threaten Tiny Islands Home To Indigenous Panamanians". NPR. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
9. Valencia, Roberto (11 November 2023). "An island and its people threatened by the Caribbean". Sumaúma. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
10. "Panama's first climate change displaced bid their island farewell". France 24. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
11. Youkee, Mat (4 June 2024). "As seas rise, the relocation of Caribbean islanders has begun". The Economist. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
12. Rodriguez, Kelybeth (4 June 2024). "Mudanza de Isla Gardí Sugdub a Nuevo Cartí avanza con éxito" [The move from Isla Gardí Sugdub to Nuevo Cartí is progressing successfully]. RPC Radio (in Spanish). Corporación Medcom Panamá. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
13. Rodríguez, Juan José (5 June 2024). "'Life goes on'—Panama islanders relocated as sea level rises". Phys.org. Retrieved 10 June 2024.

External links

Delacroix, Matías (7 June 2024). "Image of people moving to new homes in Nuevo Cartí". The Guardian. AP. Retrieved 8 June 2024. Click image for caption.