Fishing industries in Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador are using a new digital management tool developed by Global Fishing Watch (GFW) to increase the effectiveness of marine management and better protect marine resources essential to their operations.
GFW’s Marine Manager platform includes an interactive map providing fishery stakeholders with a comprehensive analysis of the sea in which they operate, including crucial information like animal telemetry, which tracks the movements of marine species such as sharks, whales, and turtles. It also incorporates topological and environmental maps allowing users to visualize underwater mountains, coral, and mangroves.
“Marine Manager emerges as a mega-platform that allows us to visualize all these different layers of information interactively. This enables the managers of marine protected areas [MPAs] to monitor and better understand what is happening in these zones," Global Fishing Watch Latin America Head Monica Espinoza said in an interview with EFE Servicios.
To allow fishery managers and fishers themselves to better understand impacts on important seafood species, the platform includes oceanographic information on sea temperature and oxygen concentration to paint a clearer picture of how climate change is impacting marine ecosystems. The platform also monitors fishing activity and vessel movements that can help identify potential illegal activities.
“Creating an MPA is a huge step, but managing, maintaining, and monitoring them is the big task that follows,” Espinoza said.
Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador jointly created the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor (CMAR) in 2004. The initiative is intended to promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources in an area covering more than 2 million square kilometers. These four countries are now using Marine Manager in the CMAR, allowing for more effective, coordinated management of resources in the corridor.
CMAR administrators can collectively identify areas of interest, improving coordination and information exchange through the Marine Manager portal. Regional cooperation initially focused on protecting the Malpelo and Gorgona Islands in Colombia, Coiba Island in Panama, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Cocos Island in Costa Rica. However, due to growing concerns about marine conservation, protection has expanded to new areas.
Costa Rican government officials have even designed a marine management plan with specific measures to use Marine Manager for control and surveillance, according to Espinoza.
The development of the CMAR and the use of Marine Manager also supports the goals of the global 30x30 agreement, which aims to protect at least 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030 and stop the rapid loss of species biodiversity. The initiative was a major topic during the United Nations Conference of the Parties summit (COP16), held from 21 October to 1 November in Cali, Colombia, where CMAR countries, among others, shared their experiences in implementing sustainability endeavors.
Also announced at COP16, Singapore-based sustainable investment firm Rumah Foundation, conservation fundraising firm Oceankind, and Singapore-based charity Asia Community Foundation launched the 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund, which seeks to provide a communal platform for marine philanthropy and knowledge sharing in the region.
That philanthropy, according to the fund’s founders, will help to create new MPAs, expand coverage of existing ones, and strengthen the management of such areas.
“Southeast Asia is a critically important region to advance equitable and effective ocean conservation,” Oceankind Program Officer Mariko Powers said in a release. “We believe that investing in local capacity to drive ocean protection is key to achieving 30x30 and the Impact Fund represents an incredible opportunity to channel resources to impactful projects, civil society champions, and strong local organizations toward these ends.”
