Faico: About Us

Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1994, with the aim of channeling and executing human, technical, and financial resources to contribute to the effective management of the Cocos Marine Conservation Area and surrounding and essential ecosystems of the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

For more than 3 decades, FAICO has consolidated successful relationships with key players at the local, regional, and international levels, becoming a replicable model of strategic partnership that inspires marine conservation globally.

The lines of action of FAICO are carried out in a coordinated manner with the Government of Costa Rica, through an official agreement with the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and the Cocos Marine Conservation Area , contributing to initiatives aimed at planning, control, and surveillance, infrastructure, natural resource management, pressure analysis, institutional strengthening, positioning, environmental education, and governance, among others.


Our Mission

To promote the best practices for the management and conservation of the marine biodiversity of Cocos Island and the Seamounts, as well as of the migratory species of the Eastern Tropical Pacific.


Our Vision

Migratory species and ecosystems in Cocos Island National Park, the Bicentennial Marine Management
Area, and the Eastern Tropical Pacific are thriving and will continue to do so for generations to come.

Faico Work Team

Executive Director: Alejandra Villalobos

Alejandra Villalobos

Executive Director
avillalobos@cocosisland.org

Conservation Manager: Andrea Montero Cordero

Sebastián Barquero

Political Advocacy Manager
sbarquero@cocosisland.org

Gabriel Rodríguez, Project Manager, Faico.

Gabriel Rodríguez

Project Manager
grodriguez@cocosisland.org

Jenifer Madrigal, Finances and Administration

Jenifer Madrigal

Finances and Administration
jmadrigal@cocosisland.org

Jenifer Madrigal, Finances and Administration

Debbie López-Nuñez

Marine Sciences Officer
dlopez@cocosisland.org

Jenifer Madrigal, Finances and Administration

Randy Chinchilla

GIS Specialist
rchinchilla@cocosisland.org

Jenifer Madrigal, Finances and Administration

Carlos Hernández

TIC Specialist
chernandez@cocosisland.org

Jenifer Madrigal, Finances and Administration

Luis H. Gómez

Communication specialist

lhgomez@cocosisland.org

Board of Directors of Faico

Carlos Manuel Uribe

President

Esteban Brenes

Treasurer

Marco Antonio Quesada

Secretary

Mario Carvajal

Representative of the Municipality of San José

Jorge Cortés

Representative of the Executive Branch