The Saboga National Wildlife Refuge in Panama was signed into law on September 12, 2024 by Panama’s Minister of the Environment, Juan Carlos Navarro. The refuge was designated by Ministerial Decree No. DM-0631-2024.
The refuge is located in the Pearl Islands Archipelago and covers almost 86 square kilometers, including 10 islands and islets. It protects critical habitats for endangered species, including nesting and foraging grounds for green and hawksbill turtles. The refuge is one of the first implementation measures of Panama’s national Rights of Nature law, which entered into force in February 2023. The law recognizes nature as a subject of rights, and gives citizens the right to represent nature legally in court.
This achievement has been championed and brought to fruition by marine conservation biologist and Rights Of Nature advocate Callie Veelenturf, who started The Leatherback Project NGO, and is a National Geographic explorer. With minimal funding, Callie has enlisted the support of many organizations, local communities, government agencies in Panama, and mostly US-based donors, to help draft and pass two Rights of Nature laws, leading to the creation and designation of the new Saboga National Wildlife Refuge.
Callie continues to expand her activities and reach, increasing the visibility and effectiveness of Rights of Nature legislation with the aim to expanded protections for other marine species and habitats in Central and Latin American and beyond.
