MEDIA STATEMENT
Costa Rica, California Forge Ahead on Nature Protection Despite Biodiversity Negotiation Delays
Costa Rica Protects Critical Shark Habitat; California Lays out Plan For Protecting 30x30
17 December 2021—Seeking to protect one of the most biodiverse waterways in the world from industrial fishing, the Costa Rican government announced today it is expanding Cocos Island National Park by 27 times. The waters surrounding the tropical Pacific island teems with wildlife, including sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles and whales.
The government also unveiled the Bicentennial Marine Managed Area, twice the size of the expanded Cocos Island National Park, which will include some no-take areas and strengthen fisheries management. The expansion of the Cocos Island National Park from an area of 2,034 km 2 to 54,844 km 2 and the Bicentennial Marine Management Area from an area of 9,649 km 2 to 106,285.56 km 2 expands the country’s protection of its ocean from 2.7% of its waters to approximately 30%. With these marine protected area expansions, Costa Rica is leading in its global ambition and drive to achieve the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the planet - land and sea - by 2030.
Earlier this week, California released a draft strategy of its plans to protect 30x30, opening it up for public comment. The strategy, Pathways to 30x30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature, seeks to accelerate the protection of the state’s land and ocean through collaboration with the federal and local governments, Native American Tribes, and private landowners.
Costa Rica’s and California’s push for 30x30 build momentum for a global push to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030. Costa Rica co-chairs the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a platform which has 78 countries focused on achieving 30x30. The global 30x30 goal is expected to be the centerpiece of a biodiversity treaty to be signed by parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2022. Earlier this month, the CBD delayed treaty negotiations slated for January due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic Society said:
“Cocos Island is like Jurassic Park: a rare wild place that shows us what the ocean of the past was, but also what the future ocean could be like, if we so decide. The expansion of Cocos Island National Park is a testament of the ocean leadership of the Costa Rica government, which further protects that World Heritage Site from the increasing threat of industrial fishing. Going from 2.7% to 30% marine protection proves that with this kind of exceptional political leadership the global goal of 30x30 is possible.”
Brian O’Donnell, Director of Campaign for Nature, said:
“With negotiations on a new global biodiversity strategy delayed due to Covid-19, it is encouraging to see. Costa Rica and California demonstrate how nature protection can move forward. They have set an example for others to follow and we are grateful for their leadership.”
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The Campaign for Nature works with scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and a growing coalition of over 100 conservation organizations around the world who are calling on policymakers to commit to clear and ambitious targets to be agreed upon at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China in 2021 to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 and working with Indigenous leaders to ensure full respect for Indigenous rights.
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