The First Encounter of World Marine Heritage Sites of the East Pacific took place from Wednesday to Friday this week in the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica.

Representatives from the different Marine World Heritage Sites gathered in the country in the event organized by the Pacifico Foundation, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the UNESCO field office in Costa Rica in response to a request by the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa and the President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solís during the signing of the maritime boundary agreement at the end of last year.

During the event the representatives discussed on technical and scientific information to generate more security and a strategy for Marine Surveillance and Control that has regional reach. The protection of endangered species, among them sharks, turtles and whales, the control of invasive species, as well as the development of the social-economic benefits of the Pacific Ocean for instance by securing the maintenance and increase of commercial fish on which fishing communities depend.

This first encounter had the participation of over 40 people from Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, France and Switzerland.

Parallel to this encounter, the representatives of different organizations from Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador met to begin the work of the Memorandum de Entendimiento, a strategic alliance that seeks to move and implement resources in the common geographical areas to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystems, biodiversity and marine resources through the combined efforts of the countries and in favor of the Tropical East Pacific. Watch the video below for more detail.

Video in Spanish with English Subtitles: