New Marine Protected Areas Recognized for Outstanding Conservation

Marine Conservation Institute announced that Cordillera de Coiba Managed Resources Area (Área de Recursos Manejados Cordillera de Coiba) won the prestigious gold-level Blue Park Award for exceptional marine wildlife conservation at the 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC5). Representatives from the Blue Parks Science Council, an international council of marine conservation experts that determines which marine protected areas meet the award criteria, and President of Marine Conservation Institute, Dr. Lance Morgan, presented the award to José Julio Casas, National Director of Coasts and Seas of the Ministry of Environment of Panama. Cordillera de Coiba will receive US $8,000 and join a growing network of 27 awarded Blue Parks around the global ocean that have met the highest science-based standards for conservation effectiveness.

In response to earning the award, José Victoria, National Director of Protected Areas and Biodiversity of the Ministry of Environment of Panama said, “It is an honor that Panama is being awarded the Blue Park Award. Undoubtedly, this represents recognition of the conservation effort of hundreds of people, including organizations, the scientific community, and civil society, who worked tirelessly to guarantee the protection of these biodiverse ecosystems and promote the development of protection based on scientific standards.”

Cordillera de Coiba Managed Resources Area protects over 67,900 km2 of deep-sea ecosystems off the Pacific coast of Panama. Shaped by strong tectonic activity, it hosts a unique underwater topography, encompassing nine mountain ranges, 24 seamounts, and an abyssal trench, creating a diversity of critical deep benthic habitat. The unique topography combined with the complex convergence of currents in the Tropical Eastern Pacific promotes high productivity within Cordillera de Coiba, attracting a wide range of highly migratory and threatened species. Large pelagic predators including sharks, billfish, and tuna frequent Cordillera de Coiba, and at least 14 species of marine mammals are known to use the MPA for feeding or migration.

Milciades Concepción, Minister of the Environment of Panama, explained, “The focus of Panama and the Ministry of the Environment is to continue working hand in hand with national and international actors for the care of our ocean. With this award, Panama reinforces its position as a blue leader and continues to establish strategies to conserve the sea, its fauna and all the services generated from this important natural resource.”

By expanding Cordillera de Coiba Managed Resources Area in 2021, Panama exceeded the 30×30 goal, demonstrating Panama’s commitment to protecting the health and biodiversity of the oceans. José Julio Casas, Pro Tempore Technical Secretary of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), indicated that the Cordillera de Coiba plays an important role in the ecological connectivity of highly migratory species that move along this area of the Pacific. CMAR is a regional cooperation mechanism created by Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama that aims to create a 500,000 km2 transboundary reserve to protect an area of high ecological connectivity and important ecological processes, where Cordillera de Coiba will play a key role.

“Congratulations to the 2023 Blue Parks,” said Dr. Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute. “These MPAs offer protection to critical marine ecosystems, revitalize ocean health, and benefit the livelihoods and well-being of local communities. We hope other governments and communities look at these outstanding Blue Parks as examples of strong and effective commitments to ocean protection that they could also pursue.”

The Blue Park Awards are supported by Blue, the Blue Endowment Fund. The Blue Park Award recognizes outstanding efforts by national governments, nonprofit organizations, MPA managers, and local communities to effectively protect marine ecosystems now and for the future. The award has been given annually since its launch in 2017. The 2023 Blue Parks join the Blue Parks Network, made up of some of the world’s most outstanding marine protected areas and ocean champions.

Cordillera de Coiba is the first awarded Blue Park in Panama. However, Coiba National Park (Parque Nacional Coiba) is currently collaborating with Marine Conservation Institute as a Blue Spark. To date, Blue Parks cover nearly 3 million square kilometers of ocean, spanning 22 countries. Marine Conservation Institute’s rigorous science-based criteria and an international panel of esteemed marine scientists are key to vetting and ensuring that these MPAs provide examples of the most effective marine life conservation. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, recently adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conference, includes a target aiming to protect 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030 (‘30×30’), and the Blue Parks initiative aims to ensure that as more marine protected areas are created, they effectively contribute to biodiversity conservation.

“Blue Park Awards recognize MPAs that effectively contribute to international ocean conservation targets,” says Dr. Sarah Hameed, Senior Scientist and Director of the Blue Parks Program. “Blue Parks ensures that we not only meet area-based targets by accelerating MPA designations, but that the protection put in place truly safeguards marine biodiversity. We’re thrilled to welcome three new MPAs to the Blue Parks Network.”

About Blue Parks

Blue Park Awards were established by Marine Conservation Institute to encourage high quality marine protected areas (MPAs) that safeguard marine wildlife, secure critical habitats, promote resilience, and ensure the inspiring beauty of our oceans for future generations. The effort aims to assemble an effective network that sustains marine life and ecosystems globally. Currently, there are 27 marine protected areas that have earned Blue Park Awards.

In addition to awarding new Blue Parks, Marine Conservation Institute has launched collaborations — Blue Sparks — with groups planning new marine protected areas and upgrading existing marine protected areas in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mozambique to ensure their efforts result in future Blue Parks.

About Marine Conservation Institute

Marine Conservation Institute, founded in 1996, works in the U.S. and globally to seek strong protection for at least 30% of the ocean by 2030—for us and future generations. Our focus on protecting the ocean’s most important places follows several lines of work: identifying and advocating for strong marine protected areas; improving laws and other tools to better conserve marine biodiversity; catalyzing effective conservation by recognizing and elevating the best marine protected areas as Blue Parks; and accurately reporting on global conservation efforts with our Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas.org).

About Blue Endowment Fund

Blue is a non-profit endowment fund aiming at building a better future through project grants, equity investments and initiative incubation. Blue provides financial grants for effective, efficient and sustainable projects to strengthen resilient marine ecosystems, and sponsors the Blue Park Awards.

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