The region including the exclusive marine economic zones of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica is one of the most productive areas of the Eastern Tropical Pacific and belongs to one of the  biogeographical provinces with one of the highest index of endemism in the world. This area has a high ecological interconnection level and complex oceanographic properties, given mainly to the multiple marine convergence currents, which facilitates the dispersion of marine larvae (corals, crustaceans, equinoderms, mollusks, fish), affecting migrations, movements and distribution of many regionally and globally important species, such as: tuna fish, sharks, marine turtles, whales and marine birds.

The region including the exclusive marine economic zones of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica is one of the most productive areas of the Eastern Tropical Pacific and belongs to one of the biogeographical provinces with one of the highest index of endemism in the world. This area has a high ecological interconnection level and complex oceanographic properties, given mainly to the multiple marine convergence currents, which facilitates the dispersion of marine larvae (corals, crustaceans, equinoderms, mollusks, fish), affecting migrations, movements and distribution of many regionally and globally important species, such as: tuna fish, sharks, marine turtles, whales and marine birds.

Golfo Dulce is home to a great diversity of marine life including dolphins, sea turtles, tropical fish including marlin, parrotfish, dorado, red snapper, over 87 species of stomatopods and decapods, and is an important place for humpback whales and whale sharks to breed. The beaches surrounding Golfo Dulce serve as nesting grounds for hawksbill, Olive Ridley and leatherback ocean turtles. This area is the most pristine and conserved area of the country. Many of the surrounding forests (Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, Piedras Blancas National Park and the Esquinas Sector) guard thousands of hectares of primary forest. The Coco Island is located in the central part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, at 532 km from south western pacific mainland of Costa Rica across the Panama Gulf, at 5° N and 87° W. The terrestrial area of the island is 23,85 km² and 1.997 km² of marine protected ecosystems. This island is of enormous importance for biodiversity as there has been 1,142 reported marine species (25% of the pacific ocean species), it is the place of most endemism in Costa Rica (42.5%). The Coco Island is the only oceanic island of Costa Rica, and is the breeding and feeding site for marine birds and contains one of the most developed coraline formations in the Costarrican ocean. << Read less

Improve representation and ecological integrity of coastal and marine biodiversity, incorporate new and expanded MPAs, using an ecosystem approach and consolidating the protection of 1 ocean site, developing official management plans, monitoring and control and surveillance plans for MPA's.

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Costa Rican coastal and marine ecosystems are largely under-represented in the PAS, including sandy and rocky beaches, rocky and soft sea bottoms, coral communities and sea grasses of the Pacific Ocean, upwelling zones, and congregation areas for whales, whale sharks, lobsters, and fish. New MPAs are also needed to protect coastal areas and most of the oceanic areas of biological importance. Currently, only 21 of the total number of conservation areas (i.e. 169) are MPAs, and these cover only 5,140 km2, or 1% of the country’s jurisdictional waters. The recently concluded Coastal and Marine Conservation Gap Analysis (GRUAS II) identified 34 areas (20,985 km2) that are in need of conservation, among which 12 areas (16,300 km2) are considered to be of high priority. Their management remains weak; for example, only a fraction of the MPAs have completed and updated their management plans. In addition, management skills within the PAs are weak and the financial sustainability of Costa Rica’s MPAs is far from being achieved.

The submarine mountains of Coco contain a diversity of substrata and under water hills usually harboring high primary productivity, congregations of pelagic fish and diverse sessil invertebrate communities (corals, octocorals, ascidians, sponges, briozooans, etc.). The area is identified as of interest includes 1,311 km2, which have no category of conservation.

Golfo Dulce has 1,153,4 km2 of interest; of which 983,3 km2 (85%) represent a conservation gap. It is a feeding site for marine birds and a nesting sites for marine turtles,a concentration site for cetaceans, Rhincodon typus and “piangua” banks. Its uniqueness resides in it containing an anoxic basin unlike any other in the tropics, with important coraline formations in danger of disappearing due to sedimentation.

Some important biological-ecological properties in Golfo Dulce are:
1. It is the most accessible marine site and less dangerous (marinas conditions) for dolphin observation. Great communities of spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) and the common bottle nose (Tursiops truncatus) are regulars in the area.
2. Its coral reefs jointly with those from the Chiriqui Gulf in Panama are the oldest of the American Pacific.
3. From December to March the presence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) coming from north America are common from Caño Island to Golfo Dulce, and between July and September some community individuals of humpbacks from the south come with their young to Golfo Dulce.
4. It is the nesting site of many marine species in the rocky shores and their mangroves (e.g. Needle Fish, snappers, etc.).
5. It is common that pelagic species visit in these calm waters. Among them there are the large shark whales, fish schools and sometimes occasional orcas.
6. Golfo Dulce has in its external area (Platanares and Punta Banco) some important sand beaches for Pacific turtle nesting (Ridley, Leatherback and Black).

When increasing the net of MPAs and incorporate the identified gaps for Golfo Dulce and Coco Island it will be consolidating, among others, the protection of:
-Shark whale (Rhincondon typus) congregation areas
-Hammer shark (Sphyrra spp.) congregation areas
-The area where the only occurrence of the shark Odontaspis ferox; the gobiid fish Acanthemblemaria atrata and of the fish Plectrodromus leopardus have been recorded for the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
-The area where the only occurrence of the endemics Axoclinus cocorensis; the gobiids Chriolepis atrimelim, Gobiesox fulvus and Lythrypinus cobalos as well as the sea bass Serranus tico and the scorpion fish Scorpoaena cocoensis have been recorded for the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
-Congregation areas of marine mammals (humpbacks, blue whales, orca, false orca, spotted dolphin, tucuxi, bottle nose dolphin).
-Nesting areas for the golfin turtle or olive green (Lepidochelys olivacea). << Read less

The proposed project is part of a larger project called Forever Costa Rica, which seeks to help Costa Rica become the first developing country to meet the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), and in doing so creates a unique potential model for other developing countries. Forever Costa Rica contains, as a centerpiece, the definition of stable funding to achieve the nation’s goals under the CBD and to cover recurring associated expenses. A private trust will be established with the beneficiary defined as “the public protected areas of Costa Rica”. The trustee will be the Asociación Costa Rica por Siempre, a civil, private, nonprofit association domiciled in Costa Rica. This association has the objective of providing the goods and services needed to allow Costa Rica’s implementation of its national and international commitments for the conservation of biodiversity, especially those included in the Program of Work on Protected Areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The total fundraising goal is US$50 million. Interest income from the US$42 million (or annual flows from bilateral and multilateral funding sources) will be used to finance recurring costs originated by the project. In addition, a sinking fund of US$8 million will be used for expanding and improving the marine protected area system during the life of the project.

The Nature Conservancy, the Linden Trust for Conservation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will raise at least US$34 million from individual donors and nonprofit foundations, and the project will raise at least US$17 million from bilateral and multilateral donors. As of 9/23/09 detailed costing exercises and the donor list are available upon request. << Read less

The coastal human populations that use these resources will participate in biodiversity conservation through the design of the MPAs. The MPAs should have a zoning design that respond to the needs of the maintenance and improvement of wildlife and human populations.

The project is consistent with the Environment Law No. 7554 (1995) and the Biodiversity Law No. 7788 (1998), which seeks to conserve biodiversity and the sustainable use of the country’s resources and promote the fair distributions of costs and benefits. Also, the project is consistent with Costa Rica’s National Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use (1999) and the National Development Plan (2006-2010), which provide the framework for ecosystem marine conservation and sustainable use. Similarly, the project is consistent with the National Marine Strategy (2008), which highlights the need for incorporating the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources as part of Costa Rica’s development needs. << Read less

Goal 1.1: To establish and strengthen national and regional systems of protected areas integrated into a global network as a contribution to globally agreed goals
Goal 1.2: To integrate protected areas into broader land- and seascapes and sectors so as to maintain ecological structure and function
Goal 1.3: To establish and strengthen regional networks, transboundary protected areas (TBPAs) and collaboration between neighbouring protected areas across national boundaries
Goal 1.4: To substantially improve site-based protected area planning and management
Goal 1.5: To prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of key threats to protected areas
Goal 2.2: To enhance and secure involvement of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders
Goal 3.2: To build capacity for the planning, establishment and management of protected areas
Goal 3.4: To ensure financial sustainability of protected areas and national and regional systems of protected areas
Goal 4.1 - To develop and adopt minimum standards and best practices for national and regional protected area systems
Goal 4.3: To assess and monitor protected area status and trends
The Marine Conservation Corridor of the Eastern Pacific (CMAR) is a regional initiative to support the cooperation and sustainable use of the biological Diversity, currently with the Leadership of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama, and supported by their interests and national priorities. The CMAR do not pretend to be a large protected area, or impede industrial or artisan fishing. The initiative neither wants to exclude fishermen or other users of marine resources. On the contrary, the Corridor promotes the sustainable use and good management, which will permit multiple benefits to users that depend on fishing.

The CMAR is completely consequential with respecting national sovereignty of each of its member countries that are responsible of their own territory and will maintain absolute control of their exclusive economic marine zones. This corridor represents a great opportunity for the 4 member countries to assume Leadership in conservation and sustainable development of their marine environment, through an innovative model of regional cooperation.

The quality and abundance of marine resources of the region will be for fishing or tourism attractions, recognized worldwide. This initiative will increment their recognition and will give firm steps towards guaranteeing that the benefits will be produced on the long term for local communities, member countries and humanity in general. << Read less