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Panama

Background

Panama has participated in the push for the Escazú Agreement almost since its creation and was one of the first 12 countries to sign on because of their openly supportive government and population. The government voted to ratify the Agreement on January 27, 2020, and officially ratified it in early March 2020.

The environment

Known for its biodiversity, Panama supports approximately 12,165 species and 57 Key Biodiversity Areas. Although it is home to the second highest percentage of protected land in Central America (43%), it is also a deforestation hotspot, suffering extreme illegal logging operations and the cutting of forests for firewood or urban and agricultural development. Almost half of its forests were destroyed in the second half of the 20th century. Panama’s forests are especially important because they are a large part of the Meso-American Biological Corridor, which connects the ecosystems of North and South America and supports seasonal migrations, so deforestation here has especially detrimental effects.

Coast: ⅓ of Panama’s coast is on the Caribbean side, and is highly wooded (largely in mangroves, of which there are 170,000 acres in Panama) and protected. Mangroves in other areas of Panama commonly destroyed for development, but are important because they support marine habitats and protect the country from coastal erosion. The Pacific coast (the other ⅔) is highly developed, supporting 80% of Panama’s population. Sewage and industrial waste from Panama City are dumped directly into Panama Bay, and pollution here and in other parts of the Panama Canal watershed contaminate the country’s otherwise clean drinking water.

Environmental laws

On July 1, 1998, the overarching Panama’s Environmental Law was passed and created basic legislation concerning environmental protection and recovery while still promoting economic development. It also established the National Environment Authority who would handle these laws and create environmental policies. Finally, it also created legislation for protected lands and parks and regulated the destruction of the environment for development. Panama’s government has also been active in pushing for environmental education and public awareness and promoting sustainable development. Since then, more specific laws have been passed concerning emissions and water and the government is establishing laws concerning noise pollution and hazardous waste disposal. Although Panama is extremely active in environmental legislation and protection, they are often limited by financial and human resources.

Defenders

Although Panama is generally supportive of sustainable living and the peoples’ voice, most activists and defenders in Panama are subject to police brutality, infringement of rights, police brutality, and death threats. This includes a range of people from environmental defenders to journalists, labor rights defenders, human rights defenders, and indigenous rights defenders. The biggest case of violence against environmental defenders was against activists and journalists who were advocating for conservation in Darien and were met with death threats from those who supported illegal logging, farming, and land grabbing in the area. Indigenous people who fought against hydroelectric projects like Barro Blanco, Chan 75, and Bayano that were being built on their land were met with police brutality and backlash

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