Latin America

Colombia “really close” to protecting one-third of its marine zones

Outgoing President Duque said the country would meet UN commitments ahead of time. Critics say his administration was less than sustainable

Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Nuquí, Colombia. Guillermo Ossa
Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Nuquí, Colombia. Photo: Guillermo Ossa/Shutterstock

President Iván Duque of Colombia, who is set to leave office in August, announced this week that his country is “really close” to achieving the landmark of placing 30 percent of its marine zones under protection. Colombia would be the first Western country to fulfill this goal.

His announcement was made alongside Environment Minister Carlos Correa during the UN Ocean Conference, which ends today in Lisbon, and was heavily celebrated. Colombia had committed to the UN to reach 30 percent of marine zone protections by 2030.

The achievement gives UN representatives a reason to celebrate after member countries failed to agree on the terms of a legal framework for ocean protection, the so-called High Seas Treaty.

Colombia could announce this good news after its Academy of Sciences’ approved the inclusion of four new oceanic areas within the protected sites, allowing up to 16 million sea hectares — twice the number registered before — to come under a more efficient monitoring regime as well as other legal guarantees. 

Of this new area, 9 million marine hectares will be established as “no-take zones,” where extractive activities are completely forbidden, to preserve natural and cultural resources.

colombia Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Iván Duque Márquez, the Colombian president, on the side of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo
Secretary-General António Guterres (right) meets with Iván Duque Márquez, the Colombian president, on the side of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo

During the opening speech in Lisbon, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared an “ocean emergency,” and urged...

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