Bill 194.

Summary.

The bill aims to preserve, conserve and restore green spaces, parks and natural areas in urban environments in the Republic of Panama (Panamá). Its provisions address these spaces as part of the urban environment and set out measures both to conserve existing spaces and to restore those requiring intervention. Although its title also refers to residential developments, rural areas and municipalities, the objective stated in Art. 1 concerns urban environments.

The bill establishes, before the competent authority, criteria for the restoration, use and maintenance of those spaces. It connects those criteria to the role of green spaces, parks and natural areas in promoting quality of life, biodiversity and environmental sustainability in urban environments. Restoration is thus addressed alongside the subsequent use and maintenance of the spaces covered by the bill’s stated objective.

The bill provides for the identification and expansion of existing public green spaces in accordance with principles of sustainable urban planning. This provision covers both the identification of areas that already exist and their expansion. It then brings the private sector into the preservation and restoration of green spaces. For that participation, it provides for corporate social responsibility agreements or arrangements associated with the preservation and restoration measures described in the text.

With respect to the public, the bill provides for equitable access to green spaces. It also calls for the integration of practices and policies that promote the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of pollution and improvements in residents’ quality of life. These practices and policies form part of the measures that the bill connects to the protection of green spaces and to environmental conditions in urban settings.

Art. 7 assigns responsibility for issuing regulations under the proposed law to the Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo), acting through the Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente, Mi Ambiente). Art. 8 provides that the law would take effect on the day following its promulgation. The provisions establish the bill’s objective, the criteria and measures described above, and the Executive Branch’s responsibility for implementing regulations. In Panama, the public bodies connected with the bill are the Executive Branch and the Ministry of Environment. Its subject matter may be of interest to people who use green spaces, private sector participants in corporate social responsibility agreements or arrangements, and sectors involved in urban planning, residential developments and environmental conservation.