Humpback whales and different ocean giants might quickly have the ability to breed peacefully within the heat seas off Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula after the announcement of a Hope Spot by Mission Blue.
The ocean conservation organisation, in partnership with watchmaker Rolex via its Perpetual Planet initiative, endeavours to discover, restore and safeguard the world’s oceans. This has been ongoing since 2014.
More than 130 Hope Spots has been established to this point.
They give worldwide visibility to native communities campaigning for authorized safety of ecologically essential areas of the oceans – these thought of important to the preservation of species or locations the place individuals depend on a wholesome marine atmosphere to outlive.
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The new Hope Spot, named the Biological Marine Corridor of Osa, has a various cluster of ecosystems which might be important for the survival of marine life, together with the coral reefs of Cano Island, a number of essential breeding spots for marine species, mangroves and one of many largest wetlands of the Pacific coast of Central America.
The waters across the Osa Peninsula has additionally been described as “the most biologically intense place on earth”.
Every yr, the whales swim 10,000km to Costa Rica from Antarctica. They be a part of different migratory animals resembling hammerhead sharks, manta rays and sea turtles that at present face lethal hazards in Costa Rican waters.
These vary from plastic air pollution, agricultural effluent and entanglement in ghost nets and lengthy traces from industrial fishing.
“These areas host breeding and feeding areas for a number of species of whales and thousands of other organisms like sharks, tunas, and the little creatures upon which all the rest are based …” says Mission Blue founder and Rolex testimonee Sylvia Earle.
“By supporting the full protection of this corridor of life along the Osa Peninsula, life itself will be enhanced.”
Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, photographed within the Azores. Photo: Rolex
The waters have already got some safety: there are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across the Marino Ballena National Park, Terraba-Sierpe National Wetlands, Cano Island Biological Reserve and Corcovado National Park.
However, higher safety is required in line with Carlos Mallo Molina, a Mission Blue Champion and founding father of Innoceana, a marine conservation NGO in Costa Rica.
“The current MPAs need to be expanded to cover a corridor between them,” Molina provides.
National Geographic has described the waters off Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula “as the most biologically intense place on Earth”. Photo: Rolex“These MPAs don’t currently touch, leaving migrating marine life vulnerable between the gaps. If we want to establish effective protection for the marine life that migrate through Costa Rica’s waters, we need to apply thorough protection across the entire area.”
Molina is considered one of three Champions who nominated the Hope Spot and as such will coordinate advocacy occasions, meet authorities leaders and pursue scientific actions associated to conservation, in collaboration with native organisations, neighborhood associations, companies and authorities.
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Through Mission Blue, they’re working to speed up the creation of an MPA, Reserva Marina Alvaro Ugalde Víquez, as a step in direction of higher safety for the native ecosystem.
“Restoring the marine ecosystem off the Osa Peninsula will enrich the local community economically, physically and mentally,” explains Molina.
“Artisanal fishermen will be in a better place thanks to a healthy coral reef and mangroves. With the prohibition of industrial fishing, dive sites will be more attractive, strengthening the local ecotourism industry. It would mean a win-win for all life here, including for humans,” Molina provides.
Key to the way in which that Mission Blue works is the empowerment of native individuals to make change by creating a world wave of neighborhood help for ocean conservation. Innoceana plans to extend neighborhood understanding of the ocean via a marine conservation and schooling centre, the primary of its sort in Costa Rica.
It will underpin marine schooling within the space and function a analysis facility.
