September is the Ocean Month in Panama, a moment to celebrate the country’s extraordinary marine wealth, to talk about conservation, and to remember all that the ocean silently does for us.

But this year, instead of receiving good news for our seas, an alarm we thought was turned off was switched on again. On September 7, the Plenary of the National Assembly insisted on the approval of the Bill 571, with 50 votes in favor and 6 against, after President José Raúl Mulino had objected to it on the grounds of unconstitutionality.

This law modifies the protections established for some of the ecosystems that sustain life in our oceans.coral reefs, seagrass beds and associated ecosystems. We know that everything is connected; protecting the ocean also means protecting each of the parts that allow it to remain alive.

What does Bill 571 change?

Coral reefs are not only extraordinary underwater landscapes, they are a refuge, feeding and breeding ground for numerous species and are part of marine-coastal systems on which local communities and economies also depend.

According to the project that is back under discussion, the scope of reef protection would be modified, and in the case of theseagrass, the direct prohibition on interfering with them would be eliminated,leaving its regulation subject to future provisions of the Ministry of Environment.

One vote does not mean the story is over

The vote took place, but there is something important to clarify. Bill 571 should not yet be presented as a current law. Since the president objected to the project on grounds of unconstitutionality and the Assembly decided to insist on its approval, the constitutional review process came into play.

Article 171 states that the project and the objections must be submitted to the Supreme Court of Justice, which will have to rule on its constitutionality.

An ocean doesn’t work in parts.

A few days ago we talked about Ocean Month from a very simple idea:The ocean begins long before it reaches the sea.It begins in rivers, wetlands, and mangroves, and continues underwater, in seagrass beds and coral reefs.

They are all part of the same system; when we protect the David’s Mangroves we protect the waters that flow into the Gulf of Chiriquí. Just as when we protect seagrass beds, we protect refuges and feeding grounds, and when we protect reefs, we protect biodiversity and entire communities.

That’s why we can’t defend these ecosystems separately either. Mangroves, seagrass beds, reefs, and the ocean are connected. The defense must also be in place.

In Ocean Month, the defense continues

Perhaps this September we didn’t receive the news we were hoping for, but the Ocean Month in Panama it can also serve as a reminder that environmental laws that took years to build should not be ignored when they face changes that could weaken their scope.

Citizen participation does not end when a vote is over; now it is necessary to follow the constitutional process, demand transparency, amplify scientific voices, and maintain attention on what is at stake.

They insisted. We too will do so, in the name of the mangroves and all marine ecosystems. #DefendTheMangroves #OceansMonth #Corals #Panama