As part of the parallel events of the VIII Conference “Our Ocean 2023” (Our Oceans), which concludes the two-day sessions this Friday, Costa Rican Vice Minister for Environment and Energy, Rafael Gutiérrez, spoke about the origins of the eastern tropical Pacific sea creatures Corridor (CMAR).
Gutiérrez explained that one of the reasons they started forming alliances and doing studies is because marine species are not static, in the case of humpback whales, they travel from the Arctic to the tropics, so it’s important to have a level of to keep protection that transcends borders.
In this sense, he praised the joint efforts between his country and Ecuador, joined by Panama and Colombia, which make it possible to protect the migratory zone between the Galapagos Islands and Coco Island after identifying the species that live in them Zones go through a migration process.
In this thematic exchange, organized by the delegation of Chile, considered “Blue Leader”, the speakers agreed that countries are developing research and monitoring platforms to set up management models and the acquisition of scientific data by both the public and by the public sector to promote private land.
For her part, Panama’s Deputy Minister for the Environment, Diana Launa, stressed that there was a need to combine efforts to ensure that, in addition to establishing these marine protected areas; the effectiveness of these regions can be ensured.
“We need the support of all actors, the NGOs, the academy, the users; but above all it is very necessary to have political support at the highest level,” he noted.
Laguna also advocated for greater integration, particularly involving coastal communities, who must be the first to reap the benefits of establishing these protected zones.
On the day, the United States also pledged to spend about $6 billion to protect the oceans and fight threats like pollution and illegal fishing.
For her part, Panamanian Vice Chancellor Yill Otero told the press that as of yesterday, 337 pledges totaling more than $19 billion had been made at the marine conservation conference.
The World Forum ends this Friday under the motto “Our Ocean, Our Connection”, which will be attended by more than 600 experts and representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations and philanthropists from the five continents.
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