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The Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape is a large marine ecosystem including the national waters of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. All four countries have sovereignty over their territories, but under a voluntary agreement, the San Jose Declaration, the countries have agreed to seek the support of international and regional organizations to improve stewardship of their shared marine life and environment.

This is an extraordinarily large area, more than two million square kilometers, and includes some of the most important protected areas in the region, including Ecuador’s renowned Galapagos Marine Reserve, Colombia’s Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary and Gorgona National Park, Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park and Panama’s Coiba National Park. Several major oceanic current systems meet in the Seascape, resulting in a unique variety of tropical and temperate marine life—all threatened by global climate change including recent extraordinarily sever El Nino events.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific is a region of abundant and spectacular marine life. Its complex biogeography, including isolated islands, the convergence of numerous currents and highly productive upwelling have given rise to high diversity, endemism and concentrations of species that support both fisheries and tourism. Nearly one third of the world’s whale species, as well as fur seals, sea lions, various shark species, and important populations of globally endangered sea turtles and seabirds all rely upon the ecological integrity of the Seascape. Important coastal habitats include some of the most extensive coral reefs in the Eastern Pacific, large mangrove forests, estuaries, rocky coastal cliffs and sandy beaches. The area is a crossroads for migrations of whales, sea turtles, tuna albatross, and sharks which move across the Seascape in response to seasonal pulses of food. The Seascape is home to an impressive five World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, bearing witness to its outstanding natural value.

THREATS

Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing

High levels of by-catch

Intense El Nino events

Pollution

Tourism

Invasive species

The major threats to the marine biodiversity in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape include illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and high levels of by-catch. These threats are aggravated by the effects of increasingly intense El Nino events, during which sea temperature rises and biological productivity clashes. Pollution is a problem for some species, large-scale shipping poses a serious risk of toxic spills, and improperly managed tourism can damage fragile coastal and marine sites. Problems with introduced species, habitat clearing and loss, and inadequate enforcement and monitoring have long compromised efforts to effectively manage shared marine resources within this region.

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