Abstract
This study examines governance and security implications of recent decisions by Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia to expand the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) and create a unified marine reserve within their exclusive economic zones. CMAR has existed since 2004 with the goals of resource management and protection of biodiversity within the waters encompassing member states’ marine protection areas. However, relatively weak normative structure and limited enforcement capacity have limited its effectiveness, as have recent increases in illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, often from Asiatic distant-water fleets. Between 2021 and 2022, CMAR announced dramatic increases in its scope, expanding total protected area to over 200,000 square miles, broadening no-take zones, and framing its mission within the context of climate change. While consistent with CMAR’s historic goals, explicitly aligning itself with the global governance challenges of IUU fishing and climate change represents a notable shift. Since then, international support for CMAR has increased, specifically from the United States, which signed a memorandum of understanding with CMAR in 2022. The U.S. Department of State has committed to provide financial support to CMAR, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense have highlighted CMAR in the context of combatting IUU and transnational criminal organizations suggesting possible material support. This paper considers CMAR’s recent development and argues the decision to frame its mission within larger geopolitical tensions may allow CMAR to emerge as a more robust ocean regime and overcome previous capacity and governance limitations even within its current normative framework.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
Climate, Governance, Conservation, Biodiversity, Development, Resource Management, Fishing, Security, Defense
