A plee to protect Boná island

Attorney General, Rigoberto González has requested information from the Environmental Minister, Emilio Sempris, on Boná Island for the second time following a lease agreement for an oil terminal.

Following the news that the local government had endorsed a lease on the island for the development of an oil terminal, González requested that the Ministry of the Environment provide more information on the lease agreement between the company Bona Pacific Corp. and the Mayor’s Office of Taboga.

After no response in March, Gonzalez sent another note on April 12th 2019 to requesting information on whether the ministry has initiated any diligence to document affects the project could have on the natural environment of Boná Island.

The National Economic Council (CENA) reported that the failure to obtain the permits required by the Ministry of Environment, Maritime Authority of Panama, among other institutions, for the development of the project, would be grounds for termination of the lease.

The Public Prosecutor warned that the project on Boná Island would constitute as activities of "great impact", and that the ministry can there for not have an "indifferent" stance with respect to the questions from various parties with concerns about the oil terminal on the island. 

"All institutions that are by law called to protect the environment must comply with the duty for which they were created," González concluded.

Several ecological organizations have been requesting the declaration of Boná as a protected area, as it is a great refuge for seabirds in the Pacific.