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Panama made a historic stride in marine conservation as its president signed a groundbreaking law in March, granting legal rights to sea turtles. This significant development, championed by Callie Veelenturf, a marine conservation biologist and founder of the Leatherback Project, represents a paradigm shift in protecting wildlife.

Unlike traditional wildlife protection laws which focus on benefiting humans, Panama's law takes into account the needs of sea turtles. And emphasizes that humans need to respect their rights.

The legislation specifically grants sea turtles the right to live in an environment free from pollution and other detrimental impacts. It says that humans must stop behaviors that cause climate change, unregulated tourism, and coastal development.  And they cannot capture or cage sea turtles or remove them from their habitat.

What sets this law apart is that it specifically recognizes that sea turtles are living creatures with enforceable rights.

Nicholas Fromherz, an adjunct law professor and director of the alliance's Latin American Program, noted the law's specificity, which enables the enforcement of these rights.

Leatherback Project

Undergraduate students, guided by Callie Veelenturf, can often be found working through the night to excavate sea turtle nests. The Leatherback Project studies the eggs, assessed the hatching process, and check for any stranded hatchlings.

 Armed members of the National Border Service stand watch for the Leatherneck Project to ensure the scientists are protected in an area notorious for drug trafficking.

The passing of the new law allows any Panamanian citizen to be a legal advocate for sea turtles, holding governments, corporations, and individuals accountable for violations of their rights. 

Veelenturf, who was elated by this development, expressed her optimism about the law's impact.  "We will be able to hold governments, corporations, and public citizens legally accountable for violations of the rights of sea turtles," she said.

Panama's legislation follows Ecuador's precedent-setting ruling in 2022, where the country's highest court recognized wild animals as rights-holders under the constitutional provisions for the rights of nature. 

Recognizing wildlife rights

Erica Lyman, a clinical law professor and director of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment, believes that these progressive legal measures offer hope amidst the ongoing extinction crisis and climate change.

Experts anticipate that Panama's bold step will inspire other nations to enact similar laws to safeguard threatened species.

 Fromherz views the law and recent judicial rulings as evidence of a growing trend toward acknowledging the legal rights of animals.

In a notable case in Pakistan in 2020, a court ruling declared that animals possess natural rights that should be recognized, denouncing humanity's treatment of wildlife while drawing on religious doctrines.

Panama's recognition of sea turtles' legal rights marks a crucial turning point in wildlife conservation. And evidence of a trend toward protecting and defending the legal rights of animals.