PRESENTACIÓN DE AMICUS CURIAE

The document provides legal arguments to support a lawsuit against the Panamanian National Environmental Authority (ANAM) regarding the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project. It contends that the project's EIA was approved without adequate consultation or the free, prior, and informed consent of the Ngäbe people, violating international human rights and environmental law. The brief highlights specific failures, including a single public forum conducted only in Spanish and the omission of critical data regarding indigenous territories adjacent to the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.

• The consultation process for the Barro Blanco project was inadequate because the only public forum, held on February 8, 2008, was conducted exclusively in Spanish despite the presence of Ngäbe and Buglé people whose native language is not Spanish.
• The location of the public forum hindered access for affected communities, as it was held in the district of Tolé, approximately 50 kilometers and two hours away from the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé.
• The state failed to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of the Ngäbe people, which is required under international law for large-scale projects that cause deep impacts on indigenous territories and resources.
• The approved EIA is deficient because it does not provide sufficient information on the areas adjacent to the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca, leading to an insufficient analysis of environmental and social impacts and differentiated risks for those areas.
• The construction of the Barro Blanco dam is expected to cause irreversible changes to the Tabasará river ecosystem, transforming it from a flowing river to a stagnant lake, and will result in the forced relocation of indigenous families.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). PRESENTACIÓN DE AMICUS CURIAE. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Amicus_29Aug2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. PRESENTACIÓN DE AMICUS CURIAE. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Amicus_29Aug2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=PRESENTACIÓN DE AMICUS CURIAE |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Amicus_29Aug2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndpresentacin, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{PRESENTACIÓN DE AMICUS CURIAE}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Amicus_29Aug2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }