COBRA Webinar – April 2024
Deep-Sea Research in Costa Rica: The Importance of International Collaboration
Dr. Jorge Cortés (Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR) & Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica)
Costa Rica is a small country (51,100 km2) in Central America, with a relatively large marine area, almost 12 times the terrestrial area. Most of that marine region is deep, 63% of the country is below 2,000 m depth and over a third, below 3,000 m. Most developing nations, and especially small ones, don’t have the technological, logistical or economic resources for deep-sea exploration, but in many cases, there is the human resource. For that reason, we need to seek international collaborations to study our deep sea. In the past, we have been invited to expeditions as observers, if at all, but that needs to change and has been changing. Local scientists should participate at par with the foreign scientist, but even better, they should also have their own research initiatives. The ideal is that the initial planning of research projects be done jointly. Also, all samples collected within a country should stay in the country if it has the necessary facilities and resources to maintain them. As an example of productive international collaborations, I will present research carried out in Costa Rica deep waters.
