Protecting marine corridors with strong policy action
Big Room
Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy presents the biologically-rich Eastern Tropical Pacific, vital to ocean equilibrium and the livelihoods of local communities, requiring strong political leadership and effective implementation of a network of Marine Protected Areas.
The Eastern Tropical Pacific is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. This vast and interconnected seascape harbors an extraordinary number of endemic species and supports billions of dollars in local economic activity annually. As this region shares migratory species that require strong national and international policy, action, and firm implementation, in 2004 Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama, came together to create the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), as a regional voluntary initiative for conservation and sustainable use that seeks adequate management of marine and coastal biodiversity resources through an ecosystem-based approach. This event will delve into these efforts and the political leadership of the region. It will show the actions that CMAR has accomplished in the past 20 years and those that need to be considered for the coming years; as well as the new policy actions and stronger commitments by the parties for CMAR to advance, and be accountable of the actions, especially in the 10 core protected areas.
Moderator:
- Giuseppe Di Carlo, Director, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy
Panelists:
- Alex Hearn, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
- Jose Julio Casas, Technical Secretary of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Corrido Initiative, Corredor Marino del Pacifico Este Tropical (CMAR)
- Minister Juan Carlos Navarro, President CMAR, Minister of Environment of Panama
Closing Remarks:
- Cristian Samper, Managing Director and Leader for Nature Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund