News

While the sea appears calm off the coast of Chiriquí, beneath its surface, changes are brewing that we cannot ignore. The Puerto Barú port project in Chiriquí aims to open a navigation channel through the David Mangroves protected area—a species protected by Law 304 of 2022.

In 2022, Panama took a historic step for the planet: it passed the Law of the Rights of Nature, recognizing that ecosystems have the legal right to exist, persist, and regenerate. Recognizing that nature has rights means understanding that life is not an exclusive privilege of human beings. Rivers, forests, oceans, and the species that inhabit them also have the right to exist, regenerate, and complete their life cycles without being destroyed.

When Rights Are Not Enough: The world is going through an era of contradictions. States that sign climate treaties and enact environmental protection laws are often the same ones that allow megaprojects that destroy the ecosystems they swear to defend. In Panama, a pioneering country in recognizing the Rights of Nature, this paradox is embodied in […]

According to Law 41 of 1998, protected areas in Panama are terrestrial, coastal, or marine zones officially declared to conserve natural and cultural resources, as well as to promote education, recreation, and environmental research. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also defines these zones as spaces […]

If there is one thing Gustavo doesn't believe in, it is pregnant birds. And if there's one thing he doesn't believe in, it's not mincing words. At 34 years old, born, raised and weathered by the sea in Boca Chica, this fisherman and tour operator has seen enough to know that, despite the promises of development and [...]

Campaigning to get Puerto Barú in David relocated, to minimise environmental damage to mangroves, marine species, and other wildlife.

The Chiriquí region in Panama is in need of economic development. One way of creating jobs, increasing trade and connectivity is to develop a port in the region.

The Puerto Barú project in David is intended to be built 20 kilometres from the city of David, in an area surrounded by 25% of Panama's remaining mangroves, which are home to critically endangered species such as the hawksbill turtle and the Central American black monkey. The plaintiffs aim to prove before the [...]

According to the international environmental engineering and consulting firm Lynker, the construction and operation of Puerto Baru will increase the likelihood of collisions between vessels and humpback whale habitat. This habitat, which stretches from just east of Boca Brava to just west of the Boca Brava Strait, is located east [...]

Environmental coalition gathers to protest Puerto Baru Protestors gather at Puerto Baru's proposed location Protests take place at Puerto Baru Protests at proposed Puerto Baru site Protest against proposed plans for Puerto Baru Guido Berguido, biologist and director of Adopta Bosque, one of more than 50 organisations opposing Puerto Baru at the site [...]

We welcome Minister Navarro's courage to start asking the right questions about the Puerto Baru project.

An independent scientific report by Lynker warns of the irreversible damage that the Puerto Baru project will cause to the mangroves of Chiriqui.