PANAMA ADOPTS THE SABOGA WILDLIFE REFUGE, PROTECTING CRITICAL SEA TURTLE HABITAT AND UPHOLDING
THE RIGHTS OF NATURE

Panama City, Panama: On September 12, 2024, the Minister of the Environment of Panama, Juan Carlos Navarro, signed a Ministerial Decree No. DM-0631-2024, (Gaceta No. 30122-A, 19 September 2024) designating the Saboga Wildlife Refuge, an 83.01 square kilometer area, including 10 islands and islets of the Pearl Islands Archipelago.

 

The Pearl Islands Archipelago is a collection of over 240 islands and islets and 3,188 beaches, located in the Gulf of Panama, approximately 48 kilometers off the Pacific Coast of Panama. This Archipelago has an impressive marine species richness and diversity that has yet to be fully studied and recognized for its importance within the Latin American region and around the globe. It provides, at least currently or historically, a breeding ground for four sea turtle species: hawksbill, green, leatherback, and olive ridley sea turtles. The hawksbill and green sea turtles forage on the algae growing on the threatened coral reef ecosystem located in the bay of Saboga Island. Additionally, this area is a nursery ground for hammerhead sharks and humpback whales to breed and raise their young. The Pearl Islands Archipelago also hosts highly understudied coral reef ecosystems. Preliminary studies have documented 57 species of corals in 53 locations throughout the Archipelago. Saboga and surrounding islands are also home to a subspecies of boa constrictor, Boa constrictor sabogae, that is endemic to the Pearl Islands Archipelago. 

 

The Pearl Islands Archipelago is recognized as a Special Coastal Marine Management Zone (ZEMMC) by the Ministry of the Environment and Authority of Aquatic Resources of Panama, but the Zone’s management plan has not yet been approved. Several threats are facing the Archipelago including illegal fishing practices, unsustainable fishing practices, fisheries bycatch of marine turtle and shark species, discarded ghost nets, illegal harvest of sea turtles for their meat, eggs, and parts, and potential development along sea turtle nesting beaches.

 

The Leatherback Project team, in collaboration with the local community of Saboga, the Ministry of the Environment of Panama, Panamanian Authority of Aquatic Resources, the Panamanian Air and Navy Service, and Fundacion Tortugas del Mar, led the field research over two years needed to understand the size and importance of the population of marine turtles living within the refuge. To date, 22 hawksbill and green turtles have been fitted with satellite transmitters and over 112 individual turtles of both species have been identified and tagged within the refuge.

 

The new National Wildlife Refuge will also protect nesting habitat for 41 bird species, including the iconic blue-footed booby, and migration routes for many species of elasmobranchs, including whale sharks and mobula rays, and cetaceans, like the humpback and bryde's whales. Humpback whales are known to birth and raise their young within the refuge area from July to October each year. 

 

The Pearl Islands Archipelago contains many endangered marine species that must be described and protected to prevent the loss of biodiversity, preserve the stability of these vulnerable ecosystems, and ensure food security for hundreds of people, not only for the sake of marine species and ecosystems, but for humanity for generations to come.

 

The local community of Saboga was surveyed twice, once by The Leatherback Project and once by the Ministry of the Environment, regarding potential protection ideas for Saboga and surrounding islands. Both times, 100% of the individuals surveyed were in support of the creation of a new National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Local community member Aida Magaña calls the bay in front of Saboga Island "the enchanted bay.” She says, “It is the favorite place of every Sabogan, with beautiful nature and marine biodiversity that we must conserve. Saboga has a lot to offer to everyone who visits us, as a hidden paradise where many marine species live such as sea turtles and the unique Boa constrictor sabogae. We hope to implement sustainable ecotourism plans to protect these species and share them responsibly with visitors.”

 

The Ministry of the Environment, with scientific support from The Leatherback Project, elaborated the proposal to create the Saboga Wildlife Refuge.

 

Marino Abrego, a biologist and the Manager of the Department of Oceans and Coasts of the Ministry of Environment of Panama, has been intimately involved in the entire refuge proposal process. Abrego highlights, “The creation of this protected area is an effort between the community, nongovernmental organizations and government institutions who, as visionaries, focus on the potential of this site that houses emblematic and threatened species, which must be protected to save them from extinction. The Ministry of the Environment, as the governing body for the administration of the country's natural resources, is the guarantor that they are conserved over time, which is why their management must aim towards sustainability, for the benefit of the resources and the population in general. This is a joint effort that must involve all parties. Taking care of, protecting and conserving our resources means valuing our natural heritage. The Pearl Islands Archipelago has a great diversity of fish and marine species, such as birds, sharks, rays, turtles and cetaceans, among others. Therefore, it is important to preserve this great natural legacy for present and future generations.”

 

The objectives of the creation of the new National Wildlife Refuge outlined by the Ministry of the Environment include promoting the conservation of marine turtles, maintaining ecological cycles, restoring coral reefs, developing ecotourism initiatives, impulsing conservation efforts, and “recognizing and defending the rights of nature, as a subject of rights, in the Pearl Islands Archipelago.”

 

Callie Veelenturf, National Geographic Explorer and Director of The Leatherback Project, shared, “The creation of the Saboga Wildlife Refuge is one of the first implementation measures of Law 287, that recognizes the Rights of Nature in Panama. This action is so important, as it shows the world an example of what respecting the intrinsic rights of nature looks like in practice: generating new protected areas to safeguard healthy ecosystem functioning and exemplifying living in harmony with Nature.”

 

Constanza Prieto Figelist, the Earth Law Center  Latin America Legal Director, “The Saboga Wildlife Refuge represents an inspiring concretion of the legal framework of the Rights of Nature in Panama, both Law 287 (2022) and Law 371 (2023). I particularly highlight the importance of its preventive approach and the crucial role of the Refuge in meeting the inherent needs of the populations of sea turtle species that inhabit and reproduce in the area, being a key initiative for the satisfaction of the rights of sea turtles recognized in Law 371 such as the right to live in an environment free of pollution and other human impacts that cause physical or health damage, such as climate change, bycatch, coastal construction, and deregulated tourism. Congratulations, Panama, for a commitment that illuminates the continent.”

 

Captain Nelly Forero, Member of the Environmental Committee of Panama’s Air and Navy Service (SENAN) says, “SENAN is dedicated to protecting marine coastal areas and ecosystems, including supporting the local community in executing the implementation measures needed to protect the new Saboga Wildlife Refuge from unsustainable development, unregulated tourism, illegal fishing activities, and the wildlife trade. Together we will protect this special place.”

 

“The declaration of the Isla Saboga Wildlife Refuge signifies hope for the planet, as well as a successful model where the government, science, and communities come together for a common good and where they will continue to work together for the effective management of the area. This refuge will surely be an example for other areas in the country and other nations, where community participation and the generation of effective management plans could improve the state and knowledge of ecosystems and mitigate the loss of biodiversity at the local, regional and global levels, as in the case of the critically endangered Eastern Pacific hawksbill turtle,” says Karla Barrientos, Director of Fundación Tortugas del Mar.

 

Max Bello, Mission Blue’s Global Ocean Policy Advisor, says, “Having reached 54% protection, more than half of their Exclusive Economic Zone, Panama continues showing not only how diverse and critical this refuge is for the region, but also its willingness to continue to protect its richness. It's fundamental for all countries to understand that 30% is just a step, and Panama is demonstrating leadership that encourages other countries to follow suit.”

 

Veelenturf says, “I commend the government of Panama for taking this exciting step to protect nature, and most importantly, to the local community of Saboga for deciding that it is their priority to pioneer a new wave of natural protection measures in the Pearl Islands Archipelago.”

 

The team that conducted this work included the local community of Saboga, The Leatherback Project, Ministry of the Environment of Panama, Panamanian Air and Navy Service, Panamanian Authority of Aquatic Resources, and Fundacion Tortugas del Mar with Rights of Nature counsel from the Earth Law Center. 

 

The donors and foundations making this work possible include: National Geographic Society, the Philip Stephenson Foundation, Isla Secas Foundation, Mission Blue, Rolex, The Explorers Club, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Earth Law Center.

 

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The Leatherback Project (https://www.leatherbackproject.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the leatherback sea turtle and other threatened and endangered marine species through research, education, and advocacy initiatives primarily aimed at mitigating fisheries bycatch and designating and implementing marine protected areas. We work towards restored balance, decreased anthropogenic pressures on overexploited resources and a sustainable future for the world’s ocean ecosystems and coastal habitats, allowing for the recovery of endangered wildlife like the leatherback. The TLP team works in Panama to identify and study new-to-science sea turtle nesting and foraging grounds throughout the Pearl Islands Archipelago, illuminate key threats to biodiversity, and collaborate with local communities to come up with impactful, long-lasting conservation solutions such as proposing the community-managed Saboga Wildlife Refuge. 

 

Earth Law Center (ECL) (https://www.earthlawcenter.org) is a nonprofit organization, with offices in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada. ELC champions Earth-centered laws and community-led movements that respect and protect all life on the planet, including the promotion of Rights of Nature. The Earth Law Center was involved in supporting the advancement of the Rights of Nature in the Saboga Wildlife Refuge proposal.