- Costa Rica is leading regional efforts to strengthen island biosecurity, hosting workshops that integrated national and international experiences in invasive species management.
- FAICO, together with strategic partners, promoted spaces for dialogue and learning that laid the groundwork for a regional early warning system in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
- The meetings highlighted the importance of inter-institutional alliances, multisectoral participation, and financial sustainability to protect fragile ecosystems such as Cocos Island.
September 12, San José, Costa Rica. On August 26–29, 2025, Costa Rica hosted two key events aimed at strengthening biosecurity and managing invasive species in island and marine-coastal contexts.
The National Workshop on Biological Invasions and Biosecurity, held in San José, brought together 44 representatives from 25 institutions across the public, private, academic, and civil society sectors. Throughout the sessions, participants engaged in participatory dynamics, case studies, and plenaries that made it possible to build a shared glossary of key concepts and generate practical recommendations for the prevention, control, and eradication of invasive species.
The workshop included the participation of authorities from the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) and the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO), as well as shared experiences from the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Among the most valued lessons were the standardization of concepts, the use of practical examples, and the need to strengthen the participation of strategic actors such as tourism operators, the fishing sector, port authorities, and the media.
Meanwhile, the Regional Workshop for the Standardization of Biosecurity Measures and the Establishment of an Early Warning System gathered representatives from the member countries of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR). This event provided a space to share experiences from Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Costa Rica, and to advance in the development of a regional biosecurity management tool, along with the participatory design of a Regional Early Warning System for invasive species.
Both workshops emphasized the importance of inter-institutional and regional cooperation to address the risks threatening biodiversity and the health of island ecosystems. They also underlined the need to ensure financial sustainability and broaden the inclusion of key stakeholders to guarantee the implementation of biosecurity measures in the short and medium term.
These efforts reaffirm the commitment of Costa Rica and CMAR countries to protecting their natural heritage, with special emphasis on Cocos Island National Park, a site of global relevance due to its biodiversity and its vulnerability to invasive species.
The workshops were organized by the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO), together with the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Jocotoco Foundation, in collaboration with the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) and with the support of Automercado.
