Draft bill 168.

Summary.

The draft bill seeks to designate the district of Natá, in Coclé province, as a historical, archaeological, tourism, cultural and agricultural district of the Republic of Panama. It proposes a framework for protection and sustainable development linking the conservation of Cerro San Cristóbal and the district’s historical, cultural and environmental heritage with the orderly development of agricultural, industrial and tourism activities. The district designation rests on its place in national history, its architectural and religious heritage, its agricultural tradition, and its potential for sustainable historical and cultural tourism.

The bill would declare Cerro San Cristóbal an inalienable nature reserve for the permanent conservation of its ecosystems, biodiversity, water resources, landscape and other environmental features. It would prohibit the transfer, occupation or exploitation of the area and activities incompatible with conservation, except those expressly permitted under current environmental legislation. For cultural heritage, it would task the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura) and other competent institutions with promoting the conservation, restoration, protection and enhancement of historical monuments, Santiago Apóstol Church, the archaeological park, heritage buildings and other cultural property in the district.

Through the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario) and other competent institutions, the State would establish an agricultural incentive program for the district of Natá. The program could include collection centers, postharvest facilities and infrastructure for storing, grading, packaging and preserving agricultural products; irrigation systems, production roads and other supporting works; and financing, technical assistance, training, research, innovation and knowledge transfer. It also provides for preferential access to programs for marketing, adding value to and promoting the district’s products. For the traditional onion crop, it contemplates support for certified seeds, phytosanitary control, storage and processing, together with measures addressing price fluctuations and imports that affect the marketing of the local harvest.

The Panama Tourism Authority (Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá), in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and other competent bodies, would develop permanent programs promoting historical, cultural, religious and ecological tourism, as well as agritourism. The draft bill recognizes and establishes the Natá Fair and the Festival of Natariego Customs and Traditions as expressions of the district’s cultural heritage. It assigns those bodies responsibility for promoting, strengthening and supporting the events’ organization, preservation and dissemination.

The Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente) would adopt measures to protect, conserve, restore and sustainably manage Cerro San Cristóbal, which would become part of the National System of Protected Areas (Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas). For the environmental technical terms it uses, the bill refers to the definitions in Law 41 of July 1, 1998. Competent public institutions would promote coordination to carry out programs, projects and actions for heritage conservation and sustainable economic development. The Executive Branch would issue implementing regulations within 120 calendar days after promulgation; institutions would progressively incorporate the necessary actions within their available budgets. The bill provides for entry into force on the day following publication in the Official Gazette.

Because of the functions assigned to them, the proposal concerns the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Panama Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Environment and the National System of Protected Areas. Its provisions could interest agricultural producers, agribusinesses, the tourism sector, cultural heritage managers and communities in the district of Natá.