The Colombian marine sanctuary expansion added 155,000 acres to the Acandí Wildlife Sanctuary to protect sea turtle nesting beaches, coral reefs, and mangroves along the Darién coast bordering Panama.
The Wildlife and Flora Sanctuary of Acandí, Playón, Playona, San Francisco, and Cabo Tiburón now covers nearly 220,000 acres, stretching from Cabo Tiburón on the Panamanian border to the township of San Francisco in the southern Gulf of Darién. Originally designated in 2013 to protect beaches and seabeds used by leatherback and hawksbill turtles during nesting cycles, the sanctuary’s reach now encompasses coral ecosystems, seagrass beds, islets, mangroves, and rocky shores that are essential to Caribbean biodiversity.
Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, three Afro-Colombian community councils, namely Cocomanorte, Cocomaseco, and Cocomasur, and partners, including World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Colombia and Rainforest Trust, jointly built the Colombian marine sanctuary expansion. The project responded to long-standing community demands for greater protection of ecosystems that support ancestral practices, including traditional sustainable fishing and cultural tourism.
Luisz Olmedo Martínez Zamora, Director of Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, described the expansion as a concrete instrument for protecting strategic marine and coastal ecosystems along the Panamanian border, demonstrating that conservation models built with the people who protect them can succeed while promoting ecotourism opportunities in Acandí.
The co-management structure distinguishes this Colombian marine sanctuary expansion from conventional top-down protected areas. Afro-Colombian community councils maintain decision-making power within their collective territories. Expanding the sanctuary increases protection for Afro-Colombian culture by preserving Caribbean beaches, seagrass beds, and coral reefs that support the livelihoods of communities that have practiced these traditions for generations.
Key species benefiting include four sea turtle species, which hold deep social and cultural significance for local communities. Leatherback turtles, the world’s largest sea turtle species, nest on Playona Beach alongside hawksbill, green, and loggerhead turtles. Beach monitors check eggs nightly, assessing nests marked with egg counts, laying dates, and expected hatching dates.
Cocomanorte legal representative Emigdio Pertuz expressed that protecting the leatherback turtle means protecting the water, the mangrove, and the ancestral knowledge passed down through generations. For communities along this coastline, sea turtle conservation connects ecological preservation with cultural identity and collective memory.
Beyond species protection, the Colombian marine sanctuary expansion delivers multiple ecosystem services. Mangroves and coral reefs capture carbon, stabilize coastlines against storm surges, and support food security for local communities through healthy fisheries. Seagrass beds filter water and provide nursery habitat for commercially important fish species.
Sandra Valenzuela, Director of WWF Colombia, emphasized that the expansion represents more than 10 years of joint work with Acandí communities to protect sea turtles and strategic ecosystems. This decade-long collaboration built trust between national park authorities and community councils, creating governance frameworks that other marine protected areas could replicate.
Colombian marine sanctuary expansion represents more than 10 years of joint work among WWF Colombia, national park authorities, and Acandí community councils, creating replicable governance frameworks. Photo by Fílmico Colombia/WWF-US.
Rainforest Trust funded the landmark expansion, strengthening protection of nesting beaches, mangroves, coral ecosystems, and other vital Darién habitats. Since 1988, the organization has safeguarded more than 66 million acres of tropical habitat across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region through partnerships with indigenous and local communities.
The Colombian marine sanctuary expansion forms part of Herencia Colombia, the first Project Finance for Permanence initiative launched with Enduring Earth support in 2022. Herencia Colombia secured $245 million to permanently protect 79 million acres of Colombia’s landscapes and seascapes across 101 protected areas and seven connective corridors from Andean peaks to the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Acandí is one of five marine areas included in Herencia Colombia, which has expanded or created nearly 44 million acres of marine protected areas since its launch. The initiative meets Colombia’s 30×30 target to protect 30% of its ocean by 2030 while contributing to the permanent protection of approximately 12% of the entire Amazon rainforest alongside complementary initiatives in Brazil and Peru.
Colombia ranks second globally behind only Brazil for biodiversity, containing approximately 10% of the world’s species across ecosystems ranging from glacier-tipped mountains to coral reefs and dense rainforests to open savannas. Between 2001 and 2021, the country lost 4.93 million hectares of tree cover from agriculture, cattle ranching, logging, and mining, making expanded protections urgent.
During the official expansion event, prior consultation agreements required for the management plan were also formalized. Over the next five years, this instrument guides joint actions between Parques Nacionales Naturales and community councils, strengthening governance, consolidating conservation, and promoting sustainable activities, including fishing, ecotourism, and cultural tourism.
The collaborative effort involved Parques Nacionales Naturales, the Ministry of Environment, Afro-Columbian communities, and partners, including Rainforest Trust, WWF Colombia, GIZ, Re:wild, Invemar, Herencia Colombia, and the National Prior Consultation Authority. This breadth of partnership demonstrates how Colombian marine sanctuary expansion succeeds when government agencies, international funders, scientific institutions, and local communities align around shared conservation goals.
The Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama contains some of the Americas’ most biodiverse and least disturbed ecosystems. Extending sanctuary protection to the Panamanian border creates ecological connectivity, benefiting migratory species and strengthening resilience in one of the American continent’s most critical biodiversity corridors, ensuring that marine and coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them remain protected for generations.
