© Getty Images

San Blas archipelago -

The San Blas archipelago is scattered off the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises some 365 islands and cays, 49 of which are currently inhabited. The pristine environment is a haven for ecotourism. It's also popular as a sailing destination.

© Getty Images

The Guna community -

The islands are home to the indigenous Guna community. They also reside along a strip of coastline known as the Guna Yala autonomous region. It's an area they've inhabited since the 19th century.

© Getty Images

Gardi Sugdub -

One of these islands is called Gardi Sugdub (sometimes written Cartí Sugdub). It was once home to nearly 1,300 Guna. But in June 2024, the residents were forced to leave their island sanctuary due to rising sea levels. In doing so, they became Panama's first climate-displaced persons, and the first climate refugees in the Americas.

© Getty Images

Overrun by the ocean -

Gardi Sugdub's residents had for decades lived with the fear of being overrun by the ocean. Their thatched-and-tin-roof homes were slowly being inundated, especially during the November-to-February rainy season.

© Getty Images

Rising sea levels -

Oceanographers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute monitoring the situation were certainly alarmed. According to their data, the sea around Gardi Sugdub is currently rising 3.4 mm per year. Most of the Guna-inhabited islands lie only 0.5 m to 1 m above the waterline.

© Getty Images

Home for a hundred years -

Gardi Sugdub had been inhabited for over a hundred years, its residents eking out a living from fishing and, later, tourism.

© Getty Images

Cultural identity -

At the same time, the Guna developed and nurtured a unique cultural identity that's inextricably linked to their ocean environment.

© Getty Images

The molas -

Guna women wear traditional garments called molas. Hand-sewn from vivid textiles, the patterns are inspired by the flowers, birds, and sea animals that inhabit the Guna Yala region.

© Getty Images

Matriarchal society -

Guna families are matrilinear and matrilocal, with the groom moving to become part of the bride's family. The groom also takes the last name of the bride.

© Getty Images

A self-determined people -

Running through the Guna community is a deep-rooted history of mercantilism and self-determination. The sale of molas, for example, provides a useful source of income. On some of the islands, Guna people have even opened small restaurants to cater to tourists.

© Getty Images

La Revolución Dule -

The Guna people are proud of their autonomy. When Panama gained its independence from Colombia in 1903, the nascent Panamanian government attempted to suppress many of the Guna's traditional customs. This was bitterly resisted, culminating on February 25, 1925, when the Guna declared their independence during a short-lived but successful revolt known as the Dule Revolution (or "People Revolution").

© Getty Images

A sense of community -

The community on Gardi Sugdub centered around a Congress House, or Onmaket Nega—a feature of all islands inhabited by the Guna people. It's where the population were summoned to discuss social and community problems.

© Getty Images

Education -

A school existed on Gardi Sugdub, where uniformed students studied the national curriculum.

© Getty Images

Facing the inevitable -

As early as 2010, it became obvious that rising sea levels were posing a genuine threat to the islanders. Seawater regularly flooded homes and pathways, with flimsy housing falling victim to the ocean and bad weather.

© Getty Images

Plans for relocation -

Accepting the inevitable, the island's elders began working with the Panamanian government to develop a new village on the mainland.

© Getty Images

A new mainland site -

After several years of community- and NGO-led advocacy, in 2017 the Panamanian Ministry of Housing committed to building 300 new homes at a new mainland site already owned by the Guna community.

© Getty Images

New homes -

Shortly afterwards, the village, known as Isber Yala and comprising prefabricated two-bedroom houses, began to take shape, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.

© Getty Images

New environment -

The site, however, is nowhere near the sea. Instead, it's located inland, surrounded not by water but by verdant forest.

© Getty Images

Adapting to a new lifestyle -

For a community who forged a living as fishers and boaters, a process of adaptation loomed.

© Getty Images

No other option -

Rather than transferring the community to the mainland, some residents proposed relocating to a larger nearby island. This idea was rejected because studies have shown that rising sea levels are affecting the entire archipelago to such an extent that by 2050 scientists believe many others near Gardi Sugdub won't be inhabitable.

© Getty Images

Evacuation begins -

The evacuation of some 300 families from the island to the mainland began in earnest in June 2024.

© Getty Images

One last look -

Many residents took a poignant last look at their former homes as they walked through the village towards the dock for the 20-minute boat ride to the mainland.

© Getty Images

Heading to the mainland -

A fleet of watercraft ferried people and their possessions to Isber Yala.

© Getty Images

A logistical task -

Moving the entire population of 1,300 from Gardi Sugdub to the mainland took several days and dozens of motorboats.

© Getty Images

Treading a different path -

Arriving at Isber Yala, the islanders trod a new path to reach their allocated properties.

© Getty Images

Moving in -

Members of Panama's National Border Service (SENAFRONT) helped with the relocation, hoisting heavy furniture and other oversized artifacts into the new homes.

© Getty Images

Settling in -

The Isber Yala complex is provided with potable water and sanitation. However, a promised new school was late in appearing ,which meant students had to travel back to Gardi Sugdub for lessons.

© Getty Images

Starting a new life -

While they have a new roof over their head, some longtime residents are concerned that the relocation will ultimately threaten their way of life and culture.

© Getty Images

Hope for the future -

For the most part, the move is what most residents wanted and the Panamanian government favored.

© Getty Images

Climate crisis -

According to Human Rights Watch though, at least 38 other islands in the Guna Yala autonomous region will soon require relocation. And that includes approximately 28,000 people also slated to become climate refugees.

Sources: (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (University of Miami) (Human Rights Watch) (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

See also: This might be the first nation officially erased by climate change

© Getty Images