Vanguard | June 04, 2008 | 9 comments

End of the Road

MitchKoss

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The Pan-American Highway goes from Alaska to Argentina--except for a 60 mile gap in the lawless jungles of southern Panama. Jael travels to the end of the road and beyond to see what stops South America from entering North America.
  1. groups:
    On Current TV,   Vanguard,   Vanguard Weekly Special,   Vanguard Special,   2 more
  2. tags:
    On Current TV,  Deforestation,  Vanguard Journalism,  US Only,  7 more
  3. credits:
    MitchKoss Producer, Mike Horn Editor
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9 comments // End of the Road // Video

  • Mikeysfake1
    • 0
      Mikeysfake1  

    • Jael what are you doing. If you die I won't watch this show. That's so cool to see a intelligent girl with some balls. crazy girl. I can't believe they didn't kidnap you. Your probably the cutest girl in two thosand miles. Be careful. Keep up this news work. I don't see things like this in mainstream media.

    • 3 years ago
  • CherokeeIndian
  • forgot171
    • 0
      forgot171  

    • This is a good piece. I enjoyed it very much. It emphasised on the fact that the buffer zone is a necessity and keeping the forest is a necessity. I wish the video would have better explained how other countries are trying to negociate with panama on finishing the road.

    • 3 years ago
  • bonechaos
    • 0
      bonechaos  

    • great reporting, jael. this is, however, a very sad reality. and it's interesting to think that, although the payout to the indigenous people for permission to invade their territory and cut down precious landscape may be immediate and certainly needed, in the long run, it will leave them, as well as their environment, in devastation. with few places to go, theyre livelihoods rely on this very land.

    • 3 years ago
  • LucienRafagas
    • 0
      LucienRafagas  
    • Image

    • I lived close to the panama-costa rica boder in 2007 and you would always see trucks loaded up with timber leaving the protected areas of talamanca on the one road along the coast heading to the port of Limon.

      Unfortunately these protected areas still face illegal logging.

      here is a link from the costarican newspaper talking about ilegal logging of protected areas

    • 3 years ago
  • Conor_Knighton
  • beefcurry
    • 0
      beefcurry  

    • Sending a hot journalist into the jungle? Does the job a lot better then having old men narrative over stock video feeds, adds a nice human aspect to environmental issues.

    • 3 years ago
  • dana_b
  • flipriza
    • 0
      flipriza  

    • i think this is one of your best works jael...

      its really interesting that you kept referring to this place as a buffer zone...with all the issues of roads including safety as well as gas prices, i would think that whoever transport drugs would definitely think it easier via ships.

      i didn't quite understand what would be the benefit finishing the road...it seems to me that almost all are very negative effects. deforestation for one is a huge problem that leads on to others. however, jael, you definitely put in the views of the locals who see deforestation as the only way to maintain a livelihood, or for that matter the survival of an indigenous community. Still it makes me wonder who really benefits from the roads if it were built. There must be other ways to help out these destitute communities (ahem, and from USAID's history, i would not put them as an option).

      but in all, very interesting, and courageous of you to report on a very unknown but important place on earth

    • 3 years ago

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