During a High-Level Dialogue held in San José, Costa Rica today, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez and Asst. Sec. of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina pledged U.S. government support for the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR).
Announced by the Presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama during COP26 last year, CMAR is an effort to link ~500,000 sq. km. of existing marine protected areas into an interconnected and sustainably managed biological corridor.
During remarks at the dialogue, Fernandez called CMAR “one of the largest, if not the largest, sustainably managed corridors connecting marine protected areas in the world,” saying the United States “want[s] to engage with you and help you realize this majestic vision.” He also said that while “[p]rotecting such vast areas of the ocean is not easy…for the sake of our planet and future generations, we must.”
In addressing attendees, Medina said that ocean conservation “is equally as important” as land conservation, and that “one important way to strengthen the ocean’s resilience to climate change is to create connected and protected corridors where wildlife can migrate, expand their ranges, and acclimate to changing water temperatures.” She also called CMAR “an exciting model to the world for how to create effective, cross-boundary, climate-resilient marine protection.”
