Colombia

223,770 square kilometers of new and improved protections

Lead Partners: Herencia Colombia Project Finance for Permanence (HECO), Colombia

Roughly 45% of Colombia’s territory is marine, with an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 900,000 square kilometers.

Colombia is a bi-oceanic country that faces both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 45% of Colombia’s territory is marine, with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of approximately 900,000 square kilometers. Experts have asserted that each of Colombia’s ocean areas exhibit distinct geological, oceanographic, and climatic features, giving the country the highest marine biological diversity in South America and one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the World.  

In June 2022, Colombia launched a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative called Herencia Colombia, securing $245 million USD of public and private finance to permanently protect 32 million hectares of iconic landscapes and seascapes. The initiative opened the door to new and expanded marine protected areas in the Caribbean and Pacific, including the expansion of the Malpelo Flora and Fauna Sanctuary and Yuruparí-Malpelo National Integrated Management District, and the designation of the Colinas y Lomas Submarinas de la Cuenca Pacifico Norte National Integrated Management District and the Cordillera Beata Natural Reserve. Colombia is also working with Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama on a transboundary effort in the Eastern Tropical Pacific to improve connectivity across the region.

The Blue Nature Alliance joined Herencia Colombia to support the country in achieving its 30 x 30 target through the designation of approximately 170,172 square kilometers of new and expanded protections and standing up essential systems to improve management across the national network, contributing another 53,598 square kilometers in improved management. Blue Nature Alliance support of Herencia Colombia, alongside that of other donors, will enable the durability of such new and expanded protections and contribute to the fulfillment of the country’s commitments in the post-2020 biodiversity framework.

In addition, the Blue Nature Alliance is committed to supporting the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Parks Colombia in developing programs for the better management of the protected areas, according to the necessities identified by the country, until Herencia Colombia Project Finance for Permanence is finalized and fully operational.