The Movement for the Defence of the Territories and Ecosystems of Bocas del Toro

El Movimiento por la Defensa de los Territorios y Ecosistemas de Bocas del Toro – The Movement for the Defence of the Territories and Ecosystems of Bocas del Toro – (MODETEAB) was founded in 2006 in Panama, with the purpose of defending the Ngäbe and Buglé indigenous communities against threats to their rights over the ancestral territory. Threats have arisen from large-scale development projects imposed by the Panamanian government without the free, prior and informed consent of the Ngäbe and Buglé communities. The movement is made up of land and territory defenders in the western part of Panama, which includes the province of Bocas del Toro. The main objectives are the defence of their territory, the defence of the environment, and the recovery of indigenous culture.

Throughout the history of the movement, concerns have been raised at local, national and international levels regarding the situation of indigenous peoples in western Panama.

They currently continue their work amidst the risk of severe waves of violence (2025) due to police repression and criminalisation. Human rights defenders who are members of the organisation and members of the Ngäbe and Buglé communities have been targeted, for their resistance to land grabbing, denouncing violations of rights by mega-projects and their struggle for social rights in the country.