The Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, in the session of the Ministerial Committee of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor. /Minambient.
Photo: Minambiente
Colombia, represented by the Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, proposed in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor Ministerial Committeestrengthen the sovereignty and governance of the countries that make up this Latin American initiative and create a binding treaty ratified by all countries and that aims to conserve this regional marine corridor.
The Ministerial Committee of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor (or CMAR, for its acronym in Spanish) is a coordination and management body made up of the environment ministers of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama. This committee’s main objective is the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, a region that encompasses important marine ecosystems and protected areas of these four Latin American countries.
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The CMAR promotes cooperation for the conservation of marine biodiversity, the sustainable management of fisheries, and the protection of critical habitats such as coral reefs and mangroves. In addition, the committee seeks to confront threats such as illegal fishing, pollution and climate change, developing coordinated strategies and policies to preserve this marine corridor of high biodiversity and richness.
Muhamad proposed in the last session, held in Costa Rica, “a legally binding treaty that ensures that the CMAR is not just an agreement of wills, but an important State responsibility. The treaty will negotiate the institutional, transnational structure of the CMAR,” he said, appearing optimistic about being able to close the negotiations and share the news during the COP16 Biodiversity organized by Colombia and which will take place between October 21 and November 1 in Cali.
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“If the people, the States, work to cooperate to take care of nature, we are building bonds of peace,” added the minister. This marine corridor covers more than 500,000 hectares and, in addition to all the above, it is an important migratory route for sea turtles, whales, sharks and manta rays. The binding treaty that Colombia is promoting would be in line with the value of biodiversity, conservation and sustainable use and equitable distribution of genetic resources.
