Capacity building for maritime control and surveillance operations in the marine protected areas of the oceans of Costa Rica
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6 Costa Rican government institutions, 4 NGOs, and the Galapagos National Park were trained in maritime interdiction and boarding, crisis management, and law enforcement.
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Inter-institutional coordination of the institutions in charge of control and surveillance in marine protected areas of the oceans is strengthened.
In a joint effort between WildAid and Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO), the workshop on “Capacity building for maritime control and surveillance operations in the marine protected areas of the oceans of Costa Rica” was held, from June 24 to 28, in the province of Puntarenas.
The objective of the workshop was the development of theoretical and practical activities of tactical maritime operations for capacity building of the competent authorities for control, surveillance, and monitoring in marine protected areas and to fight environmental pressures such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU Fishing). The workshop was structured in three pillars: Maritime Interdiction and Boarding, Crisis Management, and Law Enforcement. The workshop was structured in three pillars: Maritime Interdiction and Boarding, Crisis Management, and Law Enforcement. Additionally, training was provided on the use of the EarthRanger-OFISH platform for the systematization of control and patrol actions in the protected area.
In total, 9 officials from SINAC’s Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC), 5 from the National Coast Guard Service, 8 from INCOPESCA, which is the Costa Rican fishing authority, 2 from the Air Surveillance Service, 1 from the Galapagos National Park Directorate, 1 from the Public Ministry, 1 from the Maritime-Port Division of MOPT, 2 from the MarViva Foundation, 2 from FAICO, 2 technical experts from EarthRanger, 4 technical experts from WildAid, and instructors in charge of the talks.
During the opening of the workshop, Pablo Calderón, WildAid project coordinator in Costa Rica, pointed out the importance of training on maritime operation issues, as well as on the need for inter-institutional coordination that is intended to be strengthened with this activity to achieve greater effectiveness in the control and protection tasks and the optimization of resources of the competent authorities.
Alejandra Villalobos M., FAICO Executive Director said: “Promoting coordination spaces at the government level, through training in good practices, procedures, and use of technologies, strengthens institutions according to their competencies. As FAICO we are proud to promote constructive meetings, with a common purpose: the conservation and protection of the largest marine conservation areas in Costa Rica, the Cocos Island National Park, the Bicentennial Marine Management Area, and its adjacent ecosystems.”
Gina Cuza, Regional Director of SINAC ACMC, thanked WildAid and FAICO for carrying out this type of actions and contributing to the conservation of Cocos Island National Park, as well as for strengthening the technical capacities of their organization and the competent authorities with the control and protection of the marine protected areas of Costa Rica.
The workshop was financially supported by the Blue Action Fund (BAF) and the US Department of State, as part of the cooperation efforts towards marine conservation in Costa Rica.
