Goal: Support the expansion of the Banco Volcán Managed Resources Area (AMR) by 79,178 km² and support its improved management

To support the expansion of Banco Volcán AMR, the Alliance has collaborated with the Panamanian Ministry of Environment, SeaLegacy, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and MigraMar.   

The Banco Volcán AMR is a remote, offshore marine protected area (MPA) on the Caribbean side of Panama. The area was designated to conserve a sub-marine volcanic mountain range where strong currents and frequent upwelling occur. Because of these systems, the Banco Volcán AMR plays a critical role in providing ecosystem services like nutrient cycling and serves as an important migratory ground for vulnerable species such as tuna, mahi mahi, and sea turtles, and endangered and migratory species of whales, dolphins, and sharks. Corals and sponges found here are sensitive to ecosystem changes and have observed instances of climate change-related bleaching. Additionally, small-scale artisanal fisheries and the tourism industry of Panama rely on the health of the surrounding coastal ecosystem for their economic wellbeing. Specifically, the site supports extraordinary fisheries (e.g., lobsters) along the coastal area benefiting local communities.  

Panama has consistently positioned itself as a leader in ocean conservation, previously becoming the first country in the Eastern Tropical Pacific to achieve 30% protection by expanding the Cordillera de Coiba Area of Managed Resources in 2021. Soon after, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador followed suit by instituting further ocean protections within their own exclusive economic zones (EEZs).  

At the Our Ocean Conference in March 2023, Panama President Laurentino Cortizo signed a decree to expand the boundaries of the Banco Volcán AMR to cumulatively protect over 54% of Panama’s EEZ. The expansion increased Banco Volcán AMR by 79,178 km², to over 93,390 km², an area roughly the size of Hungary. This monumental achievement has the potential to increase other Caribbean countries’ conservation ambitions and enable further transboundary cooperation and coordination.  

“The expanded Banco Volcán Area of Managed Resources will provide benefits for the coastal communities of the region and will support biological connectivity with other marine protected areas and the rest of the Caribbean Sea.”  

– Hector Guzmán, Senior Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and member of the MigraMar network 

The Alliance is currently supporting an outreach and education campaign through MigraMar and exploring a second phase engagement in Panama that will focus on the development of a management plan for the Banco Volcan AMR and continue strengthening national capacities for effective monitoring and enforcement of the newly expanded MPA boundaries.