Panama Canal

==Environmental and ecological consequences==
In 1978, it was published that "clearing the forest in the watershed might kill the canal".<ref name="bio">{{Cite journal |first1=Richard |last1=Condit |first2=W. Douglas |last2=Robinson |first3=Roberto |last3=Ibáñez |date=May 2001 |title=The Status of the Panama Canal Watershed and Its Biodiversity at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Long-term ecological studies reveal a diverse flora and fauna near the Panama Canal, harbored within a corridor of forest stretching from the Caribbean to the Pacific, but deforestation, land degradation, erosion, and overhunting remain threats |journal=BioScience |volume=51 |pages=389–398|doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0389:TSOTPC]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=85832166 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1985, the forested portion had dropped to 30%.<ref name="guard2007"/> As of 2000, deforestation through growth of human population, land degradation, erosion, and overhunting continued to be threats to the ecosystem of the Panama canal watershed.<ref name="bio" /> Deforestation causes erosion, raising the bottom of the Gatun and Alajuala lakes lowering their water holding capacity.<ref name="guard2007">{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Matthew |date=2007-02-28 |title=Changing course |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/feb/28/water.conservationandendangeredspecies |access-date=2023-08-25 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Ship traffic routinely contaminates the water; in 1986, a crude [[oil spill]] east of the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal killed plants and invertebrates.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jackson |first1=J. B. C. |last2=Cubit |first2=J. D. |last3=Keller |first3=B. D. |last4=Batista |first4=V. |last5=Burns |first5=K. |last6=Caffey |first6=H. M. |last7=Caldwell |first7=R. L. |last8=Garrity |first8=S. D. |last9=Getter |first9=C. D. |last10=Gonzalez |first10=C. |last11=Guzman |first11=H. M. |last12=Kaufmann |first12=K. W. |last13=Knap |first13=A. H. |last14=Levings |first14=S. C. |last15=Marshall |first15=M. J. |date=1989-01-06 |title=Ecological Effects of a Major Oil Spill on Panamanian Coastal Marine Communities |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.243.4887.37 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=243 |issue=4887 |pages=37–44 |doi=10.1126/science.243.4887.37 |pmid=17780421 |bibcode=1989Sci...243...37J |s2cid=41947657 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref>

Especially with the 2016 expansion, invasive species can travel faster, either on the hulls of ships or in [[ballast water]].<ref name="ng">{{Cite news |last=Andrea Appleton |date=2015-02-25 |title=Panama Canal: Superhighway for Invasive Species? |language=en |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150223-panama-canal-expansion-invasive-species-environment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320050538/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/150223-panama-canal-expansion-invasive-species-environment |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |access-date=2023-08-25}}</ref> Lake water has become salty over time.<ref name="guard2007"/>