The waters of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are home to a dazzling array of life, from whales, sharks, and sea turtles to porpoises, tuna, corals, and seabirds. Now, after nearly two decades of collaboration, the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama say the time has come to protect and conserve this thriving marine ecosystem by establishing a 500,000-square-kilometer (193,000-square-mile) transboundary biosphere reserve, which would be roughly the size of Spain and one of the largest in the world.
In November 2021, the four presidents signed an agreement to create a biosphere reserve that would help connect waters that either are or soon will be protected near Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Cordillera de Coiba (Panama), the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), and the Gorgona and Malpelo islands (Colombia). Over the past year, each country has made new commitments to safeguard each of these ecological hot spots and also pledged to protect at least 30% of its respective exclusive economic zone.
Safeguarding the pathways between the region’s biological hot spots—which are already ecologically linked to each other—would protect the tuna, sharks, rays, whales, birds, sea turtles, and many other creatures that rely on these corridors to feed, gather, reproduce, and give birth. Science shows that large, conserved areas that encompass multiple habitats and protect migratory pathways and key habitats can better ensure the connectivity of populations, which can then help species build resilience in a changing environment. In addition to the benefits to nature, the reserve would also support food security and boost local economies.
The reserve would build on a 2004 intergovernmental initiative known as the Eastern Tropical Marine Corridor (also known by its Spanish acronym, CMAR) that provides a formal—though voluntary—way for the four countries to work together on challenges affecting the region’s waters. The effort has resulted in growing cooperation on marine conservation, greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge among marine protected areas, growing political coordination among environment ministers, and adoption of joint positions. For example, in 2020, in response to the presence of a large, foreign-flagged industrial fleet operating near the Galápagos Marine Reserve, CMAR issued a joint statement raising concerns about threats to biodiversity and calling on the international community to strengthen monitoring and control of fishing activities.
Additionally, a broad coalition of philanthropic and nongovernmental organizations recently pledged technical and financial support to help Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama achieve their vision of establishing the biosphere reserve. As a member of the coalition, the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project is working alongside elected leaders, communities, Indigenous groups, government officials, scientists, and other nongovernmental organizations to support these efforts.
The health of our planet—and humanity—depends on a thriving ocean. And because what happens in one part of the ocean often has consequences thousands of miles away, governments must work together to achieve and maintain a healthy global marine environment. By collaborating and cooperating on conservation in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama are showing other governments that ambitious long-term regional projects are feasible. The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project is encouraged to see the philanthropic and nonprofit communities working together with the governments in support of a collaborative approach to securing sustainability for the eastern tropical Pacific corridor.
Matt Rand is the senior director of Pew’s international marine protection efforts and Ashleigh Cirilla is a director for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project.