Costa Rican Marine Reserve Will Protect 2.5 Million Acres of Habitat

The Costa Rican government has vastly expanded a marine protected area in the eastern tropical Pacific, creating a 3,900-square-mile ocean reserve that is home to more than 30 endemic species. The so-called “Seamounts Marine Management Area,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is now larger than Yellowstone National Park and second in size only to Galapagos National Park in the eastern Pacific. The reserve surrounds Cocos Island — a remote Pacific island 340 miles off the coast of Costa Rica — and supports numerous endangered or threatened species, including leatherback turtles and hammerhead sharks. Scalloped hammerheads are targeted by fishermen for their valuable fins and, like leatherback turtles, are often captured accidentally by industrial fishing operations. The expanded zone will likely include both fully protected areas and areas where a limited amount of fishing will be permitted. Washington-based Conservation International worked closely with numerous Costa Rican groups and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla to help establish the reserve.