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■ N . 2 coral reef in the Caribbean
o
■ N . 3 for mangrove swamps in Latin America
o
IN ■ 13.8% of protected marine and coastal areas
FIGURES ■ 10 times more marine protected areas
between 2010 and 2020

COLOMBIA BLUE CHALLENGES
Colombia bets

on blue

With half of its territory facing the ocean, Colombia is doubling
its efforts to protect its marine and coastal ecosystems and
promote innovative blue carbon initiatives.

In a video conference on 24 March 2021 between A BLUE CARBON LEADER
representatives of government and environmental
organisations in Colombia during Monaco Ocean The Colombian Minister of the Environment, Carlos
Week, the country’s efforts were presented in terms Correa, underlined the close ties between Colombia
of conservation and sustainable use of marine and and Monaco in terms of protection of the coastal and
coastal ecosystems. marine environment, establishing scientific capacity
In her opening address, the ambassador of Colom- and promoting sustainable development. He also re-
bia, Viviane Morales, insisted on the need to combine ferred to Prince Albert II of Monaco’s visit to Colom-
scientific knowledge, technologies and political action bia in 2018, the first Sovereign to visit the island of
on marine and coastal issues, above all in the context Malpelo, a biodiversity sanctuary which has been a
of the pandemic, which has reminded us of the si- UNESCO world heritage site since 2006. The founder
gnificant interdependence between humans and eco- and director of the Malpelo Foundation, Sandra Bes-
systems. The ambassador also insisted on the role sudo, reports findings drawn from the latest teleme-
of oceans to combat climate change, and underlined tric tracking of sharks visiting this Pacific island: “The
the ambition of Colombia, a hotspot of global bio- Colombian and Panamanian Pacific coasts are very
diversity, to continue its efforts to protect its natural important for the future of sharks which reproduce
assets over time, relying on international ambitions in there. We must protect these areas further”, summa-
the matter and sometimes even pre-empting them. rised the former Minister of the Environment, encou-
raging a globally consistent approach.

And the country, which is targeting a 51% reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, is refining its
ocean coastline preservation strategy. “With our ef-
DID forts to achieve carbon neutrality, all countries’ eyes
are on us. We must encourage greater advocacy,
YOU and do everything we can to protect the value of our
KNOW? largest ecosystem”, urged the Colombian minister
Carlos Correa, before introducing the project which
makes Colombia a leading country in blue carbon.
The ultimate blue carbon, mangrove
swamps are recognised for their exceptional
ability to capture and store carbon, 16 times
greater than land ecosystems. © Conservación Internacional Colombia