The University of Costa Rica is organizing the International Symposium based around Isla del Coco, an event that will bring together experts from different countries who have researched and studied this National Park which was declared a World Natural Heritage site twenty years ago.

Isla del Coco has been an object of different investigations and studies for centuries. At the end of the XIX and XX centuries the first scientific expeditions were organized with more participation of national scientists starting in the 1980’s ongoing to date.

The objective of the symposium, that will take place February 13-February 15, is to exchange, analyze and debate on the information and knowledge gathered by different areas regarding the island and its surrounding waters; filling up the blanks and also discuss of possible strategies to get to know this National Park from the perspective of different fields of investigation. The researchers will cover historical, geological and meteorological aspects as well as the study of terrestrial ecosystems and coastal and marine biodiversity.

According to Dr. Jorge Cortés Núñez of the Center for the Investigation of Sea Science and Limnology (Cimar), organizer of the event, they also have the goal of presenting a comprehensive vision of the importance of this Island.

Other aspects that will be covered include the impact of El Niño phenomenon over the coral reefs of the Costa Rican Pacific, the evaluation and restoration of the forest in the Island, the bird life present in the park, the shark populations, and the impact of illegal fishing in the island, among other topics.