- In a ceremony in the National Museum today, the President of the Republic and the Minister of Environment and Energy signed decree 43368-MINAE that expands Cocos Island National Park and the Bicentennial Marine Management Area.
- Cocos Island National Park will now cover an area of 54,844 square kilometers, and the Bicentennial Marine Management Area will cover an area of 106,285.56 square kilometers.
- The expansion will protect fragile species and ecosystems and help fight the effects of climate change.
- “Science has concluded that to reduce the accelerated loss of biodiversity, we must protect our terrestrial and marine ecosystems,” President Carlos Alvarado said.
- Cocos Island National Park is unique in the richness and abundance of the species in its waters.
The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, and the Minister of Environment and Energy, Andrea Meza, signed Friday the Decree No. 43368-MINAE, “Expansion of the Cocos Island National Park from an area of 2,034 km2 to 54,844 km2 and the Bicentennial Marine Management Area from an area of 9,649 km2 to 106,285.56 km2.”
The decree expands the country’s protection of its ocean — which constitutes 92% of Costa Rica’s territory — from 2.7% of its waters to approximately 30%.
The Cocos Island National Park expansion aims to protect shallow seamounts that have been identified as an essential marine habitat, while the expansion of the Bicentennial Marine Management Area will promote connectivity to the south of the Cocos Mountain Range.
The signing took place at the National Museum of Costa Rica, with the participation of the First Lady of the Republic, Claudia Dobles; the Ministers of the Presidency, Geannina Dinarte; Foreign Affairs, Rodolfo Solano; Public Security, Michael Soto, and the Special Envoy for Oceans of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Peter Thompson.
Also present were the Vice-minister of Water and Seas, Cynthia Barzuna; the executive president of the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Daniel Carrasco; the directors of the National System of Conservation Areas, Rafael Gutiérrez, and the Cocos Marine Conservation Area, Gina Cuza; and the representative of Fundación Amigos Isla del Coco, Carlos Uribe, who was recognized for his long career supporting the protection of the island, as well as representatives of various national and international non-governmental organizations, academia and diplomatic corps, who have given their support to this conservation initiative.
“Science has concluded that to reduce the accelerated loss of biodiversity, we must protect our terrestrial and marine ecosystems,” said President Alvarado.
“Part of our global commitment is to help halt the accelerated loss of species and protect the vital ecosystems that are the source of our food and economic security. I also want to recognize the hard work of our national park officials and staff who protect our precious park daily,” said the president.
President Alvarado pointed out that the decree is part of ongoing efforts by Costa Rica to address climate change, and highlighted the contribution it represents within the framework of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. This is an alliance led by Costa Rica, France and the United Kingdom, whose goal is to conserve 30% of the land and sea by 2030.
In remarks, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Andrea Meza, pointed out that historically, marine and coastal resources have been seen only from an extractive perspective, and the true value they have for productivity, resilience and livelihoods in coastal communities is too often overlooked.
“One of the actions that are fundamental to achieve healthy, resilient and productive seas is the promotion of marine protected areas as nature-based solutions, aimed at key resources and ecosystems that are necessary,” the minister said.
“Healthy oceans are required for us to be able to use marine resources sustainably. We must combat ocean acidification, sea-level rise and global warming with solutions that allow for the sustainable use of marine resources. This, in turn, contributes to the generation of a blue economy,” the Deputy Minister of Water and Seas, Cynthia Barzuna added.
Thermal Dome. The Cocos Island National Park is located in a region where the currents and dynamic processes of the ‘thermal dome’ interact. These currents, when colliding with seamounts, generate an upwelling of nutrients, creating an essential habitat for many marine species, from those that are the bottom of the food chain to large predators.
These particular oceanographic conditions of Cocos Island are not observed in other parts of the world.
Cocos Island and the seamounts have been classified as unique sites for the richness and abundance of species in its waters, so their protection ensures a high percentage of the biodiversity of the country and the world. Cocos Island National Park is home to 1,688 species of marine fauna, of which 45 are endemic (47.4% of all marine endemic species to Costa Rica).
Marine protected areas, as nature-based solutions, support the recovery of commercial species, which benefits local fisheries thanks to the spill-over effect — that is, when fish abundance increases within a marine protected area and spreads into fishable waters.
“The biophysical characteristics of Cocos Island National Park and its adjacent waters make this site a hot spot in the Eastern Tropical Pacific for marine fauna, so it is important to increase its protection,” said Rafael Gutiérrez, Executive Director of Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas.
The director of the Cocos Marine Conservation Area, Gina Cuza Jones, indicated that the expansion of these marine protected areas “constitutes a historic milestone for the country and the world, leaving the legacy for future generations; but it also entails a great responsibility for the country to provide with the necessary resources and efficient management to this immense marine protected area.”
She added that the country’s plan for the protection of its marine resources begins today, and it is up to many actors and sectors to implement conservation actions in these marine protected areas.
“We are proud to be part of this great achievement; our work and support consolidate our trajectory and commitment to the future,” said the president of the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation, Carlos Manuel Uribe. At the same time, he stressed that these actions promote the conservation and sustainable use of one of the most productive marine areas in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. “We also visualize the importance of marine protected areas as an integral tool focused on the protection and conservation of marine resources and their habitats, which enhance the ecosystem services of the oceans,” Uribe concluded.
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This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media