Cocos Island Marine Protected Area Created

The Costa Rican government has announced the creation of a new marine protected area south of Cocos Island. The MPA encompasses 2.47 million acres of ocean located 35 miles south of Cocoa Island, and will be called the Seamounts Marine Management Area.  

Cocos already had the designation of "National Park," and was protected as a non-fishing zone and UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The new MPA increases the area protected under previous designation by about five times.  

The area encompassed by the Seamounts Marine Management Area is home to many endangered, threatened and endemic species.  It also hosts migratory species including a variety of different types of sharks, various sea turtles, whales and tuna.  

For more information about the Seamounts Marine Management Area, see USA Today's ScienceFair and National Geographic.