FAICO, a key partner to face the challenge of effective conservation of the Oceanic Marine Protected Areas of Costa Rica
Tides Column
By: Ana Lorena Guevara Fernández
Chair of the FAICO Board of Directors
Before 2021, marine areas with some official protection measures were only 2.7% of the total area, and it is thanks to the expansion of Cocos Island National Park and the creation of the Bicentennial Marine Management Area (BMMA) that this figure increased to 31%. Undoubtedly, this is an enormous responsibility undertaken by the Costa Rican society through the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), specifically the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC). Both entities have limited human and financial resources to fulfil their work of effectively conserve the country’s Marine Protected Areas.
However, it is important to highlight that during this process of expansion and consolidation, the ACMC counts on the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (Faico), which has been the strategic partner of this Conservation Area, and which, through joint actions with the ACMC and other national and international partners, supports the efforts aimed at the effective protection of Cocos Island National Park, its adjacent areas, and the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor.
Faico, with 30 years of service, considers itself a benchmark and effective organization to channel the necessary technical and financial resources to promote the effective management of such an important marine space. Friends of Cocos Island is committed to supporting the State of Costa Rica in complying with the National Biodiversity Strategy, especially Goal 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which calls on countries not only to achieve the percentage of marine protection area indicated, but also that “… especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected, and equitably governed protected area systems and other effective conservation measures…”
In line with Goal 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, Faico, in partnership with the ACMC and other organizations, works to ensure the conservation and effective management of ACMC Protected Areas.
As part of these efforts, in 2024 key tools were delivered such as the General Management Plan of the Cocos Island National Park 2024-2034, the Strategic Plan 2025-2040 and a portfolio of ACMC projects, the Financial Plan 2024-2034, and specific plans on adaptation to climate change, monitoring of tourism impacts, communication and relationship, biosecurity, and good tourism practices. In addition, studies were carried out to modernize the connectivity and electrical infrastructure of Cocos Island National Park.
As immediate challenges, the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation has proposed several goals in the short and medium term, including: supporting the implementation of these plans and other management tools of the ACMC and the Eastern Tropical Pacific, also considering an inter-institutional vision; to continue promoting actions that contribute to the well-being and quality of life of park rangers; to be consolidated as a key stakeholder in the strengthening of the legal framework for effective governance and application of the law, as well as to promote research for a greater appreciation of the biodiversity and marine ecosystems of Cocos Island and its surroundings.
In short, Faico will continue to be the quintessential partner organization to support the country in the effective conservation of 30% of its marine territory, while fulfilling its primary objective of conserving Cocos Island, a Natural World Heritage Site (UNESCO, 1997) and its surrounding marine ecosystems.
