Panama City, 22 April 2022 (TDI): Panama held a ministerial meeting of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) initiative.
The Foreign Ministers of Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Director of Sovereignty of Colombia attended the ministerial conference.
The organization held the meeting to transfer the Pro Tempore Presidency of the group to Panama. Previously, Costa Rica served as the Pro Tempore President.
During the meeting, the representatives expressed their commitment to:
- Strengthening CMAR with sustainable and sustainable solutions
- And guaranteeing the protection and natural connectivity of ecosystems.
In a statement, the Colombian Embassy to Panama congratulated Costa Rica for its efforts as the President. Moreover, it expressed good wishes to Panama and expressed Colombia’s continuing support for the initiative.
In addition, the Latin American officials virtually met with the Minister of the Environment of Great Britain. They explored opportunities for cooperation and good practices in policies for the organization of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor.
Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor
The Presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama announced the creation of CMAR at COP26. It is an initiative that will link several existing marine protected areas and create an uninterrupted, sustainably managed biological corridor.
The initiative is a significant step in global environmental politics and in the protection of the world’s oceans. The group previously held a high-level dialogue in San Jose, Costa Rica, in March 2022. The United States also participated in that meeting.
Meanwhile, the combined area spans more than 500,000 square kilometers. In addition, the CMAR initiative comprises a world-renowned ecosystem and will connect the Cocos, Coiba, Galápagos, Gorgona, and Malpelo Islands in a marine biosphere reserve.
The CMAR initiative will contribute to the goal of conserving 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030. It will preserve migratory routes for sea turtles, whales, sharks, and rays.
Furthermore, it will address ocean ecosystem degradation, overfishing, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Moreover, the initiative will enhance the conservation of marine habitats. Finally, the initiative will help protect marine biodiversity from the impacts of climate change.
