The Naso or Teribe people are an indigenous people of Panama and Costa Rica. They primarily live in the Bocas del Toro. In the early 1970s, the Ganadera Bocas S.A. construction company was given a property title stating legal ownership on land originally belonging to the Naso people. Since March 2009, the company has been displacing Naso inhabitants by force and demolishing their villages. The Naso people held protest rallies against the destruction of their land and the Panamanian Government lack of legal recognition of their ancestral territories. |
Companies' greed put Naso's territorial integrity under threat. They held protest rallies against the destruction of their land and reclaim legal recognition of their ancestral territories.
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Ganadera Bocas S.A. in Naso indigenous territory, Panama |
| Country: | Panama |
| State or province: | Bocas del Toro |
| Location of conflict: | Changuinola District |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Biomass and Land Conflicts (Forests, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Management) |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Land acquisition conflicts Urban development conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Land |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | In 2012, the Naso people complained against dams and touristic complexes' development in the Changuinola and Teribe rivers. |
| Type of population | Unknown |
| Start of the conflict: | 22/08/1973 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Ganadera Bocas S.A. from Panama |
| Relevant government actors: | Government of Panama, Municipality of Changuinola, Civil Defense Commission |
| International and Finance Institutions | Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (OACNUDH) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | ACD - Panama, Naso People Native Communities of San San and San San Druy - Panama |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Social movements |
| Forms of mobilization: | Involvement of national and international NGOs Land occupation Street protest/marches |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage) Potential: Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Malnutrition |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession Potential: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Outcome
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Criminalization of activists Migration/displacement Negotiated alternative solution Repression Violent targeting of activists |
| Development of alternatives: | They demand the recognition of their Comarca which would demarcate their territory and protect it from further appropriation. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | The indigenous communities have been displaced from their ancestral territory without any form of compensation. |
Sources & Materials
| Related laws and legislations - Juridical texts related to the conflict |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Links to general newspaper articles, blogs or other websites |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Meta information
| Contributor: | Lucie Greyl |
| Last update | 04/01/2016 |
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