Panama National Law: rights of sea turtles and their habitats

Summary

In March 2023, Panama became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a species-specific Rights of Nature law with the passage of legislation recognizing sea turtles and their habitats as subjects of rights. The law emerged in the wake of Panama’s 2022 national Rights of Nature law, which declared rights for all ecosystems and species. However, legislators and advocates argued that sea turtles required stronger, more explicit protections.

Sea turtles are ancient beings that have survived for more than 200 million years. Globally, marine biodiversity has declined by nearly half over the last fifty years, and more than 60% of turtle species are threatened with extinction, making them amongst the most vulnerable animals on Earth. In Panama, five of the world’s seven sea turtle species nest or migrate along its Pacific and Caribbean coasts, making the country an important stronghold for their survival.

The law was introduced in 2021 by Congressman Gabriel Silva (with help from Callie Veelenturf of the Leatherback Project) and passed through three legislative debates allowing scientific and community input before making its way to the President’s desk. It recognizes sea turtles as living beings with intrinsic value and guarantees them rights such as living and moving freely in a healthy environment, and being free from pollution and human-induced threats. These protections explicitly address harms caused by bycatch, coastal development, unregulated tourism, illegal trade, and climate change. The law also requires the state to adopt conservation measures, regulate harmful practices, and ensure that the needs and interests of sea turtles are considered in policy and governance.

From a legal standpoint, while Panama’s 2022 law provided broad recognition of ecosystem rights, this legislation applies those principles explicitly to a vulnerable species, thus granting standing, reinforcing enforceability, and clarifying obligations on issues directly affecting sea turtles. The law is science-based framework that moves beyond general Rights of Nature principles to detailed, species- and place-based protections tailored to urgent conservation challenges.

Impact Statement

Panama’s 2023 law positions Panama as a global leader in Rights of Nature and provides a model for other countries seeking to safeguard vulnerable species and address biodiversity loss through enforceable rights frameworks. Internationally, the law has drawn attention as a precedent-setting approach that could influence regional governance in Latin America and global biodiversity frameworks, particularly as countries grapple with implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

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