Panama’s government has established a new specialized task force to combat environmental offenses. The Multidisciplinary Team Specialized in Environmental Offenses and Crimes, known as EME-AMBIENTAL, began operations this week following its official publication in the state gazette.
This technical-operational body will coordinate actions between the Ministry of Environment (Panama) and multiple public security agencies. Its creation represents a significant step in strengthening the country’s environmental protection framework.
Legal Framework and Mandate
The task force finds its legal basis in Panama’s Constitution, which mandates state regulation of natural resources. It also draws authority from the General Environmental Law of 1998 and the 2015 legislation that established the current environmental ministry. Officials designed the unit to bolster state capacity for preventing, detecting, and investigating administrative and criminal environmental violations.
“This team reinforces our commitment to guarantee the rational use of natural resources and avoid their depletion,” stated a ministry release. [Translated from Spanish]
EME-AMBIENTAL will support both administrative sanctioning processes and criminal investigations led by the Public Ministry. Protected areas across the country will receive operational priority from the new team.
Structure and Operational Focus
Attached directly to the Minister’s office, the team possesses no independent legal personality. Its function remains strictly coordinative. Personnel will come from the Ministry of Environment, the National Police, the National Aeronaval Service, and the National Border Service. Each agency’s specific assignments will be detailed through inter-institutional resolutions and agreements.
The unit’s responsibilities include conducting investigative acts with prosecutors, accompanying environmental inspections, and preparing technical reports. It will also monitor operations and support complaints related to potential environmental crime. A coordinating committee will develop annual work plans and track their execution.
This committee must also submit periodic reports on results. The decree mandates a transparency portal for publishing annual statistics and executed actions. This move toward public accountability aligns with broader governmental transparency efforts often documented in the official record, or gaceta oficial.
International Context and Next Steps
Panama’s initiative responds to international commitments. The country is a signatory to the regional Escazú Agreement, which focuses on environmental rights. Recommendations from Interpol and UN Environment also influenced the decision. These organizations consistently warn about the high profitability of environmental crimes globally.
“Environmental crime ranks among the most profitable illegal activities worldwide, trailing only drug trafficking and smuggling in revenue,” noted a recent international assessment cited by Panamanian authorities. [Translated from Spanish]
The task force’s immediate next step involves formalizing inter-agency agreements. Officials must define specific protocols for collaboration between environmental technicians and security forces like the servicio nacional aeronaval. Its success will depend on seamless information sharing and joint operational planning. Panama now joins a growing list of nations establishing specialized units to protect natural resources through coordinated law enforcement action.