In 1993, the International Ocean Institute had five regional operational Centres in Malta, Canada (seat of IOI founder Elisabeth Mann Borgese), India, Senegal and Fiji. After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a centre in Colombia in Latin America, the IOI offered an opportunity to the Universidad Nacional (UNA), through its collaborator with seat in the Earth Council, located in Costa Rica, Alicia Bárcena, who proceeded with the respective negotiations with Lorena San Román, then Vice-Chancellor for Research of UNA university. An agreement was signed between the IOI and UNA, and the new centre began its work in Latin America and the Caribbean in March 1994.
Throughout these three decades, IOI Costa Rica has conducted face-to-face and virtual courses, of short duration, to decision-makers at all levels, coastal community leaders and scientists involved with marine-coastal management; as well as collaborating with international entities such as the U.S. Embassy and the "Globe" program, created by Vice President Al Gore, the UN's "Train Sea Coast", and other IOI operational centers, and in particular IOI Brazil. IOI Costa Rica has also participated in research projects in favour of the use of solar energy, as an alternative energy source and in the work of approval of the national law for the creation of the Municipal Corps of Lifeguards on Costa Rican beaches. Likewise, in past years, through the IOI’s WOMEN, YOUTH, And THE SEA Programme, it was strongly involved in successful development projects in coastal communities. Between 2016-2020, IOI Costa Rica carried out a valuable programme of face-to-face courses for scientists and decision-makers effectively involved with coastal marine management, which obliged the participant, in addition to attending the corresponding talks, to also get involved with interactive reality simulation exercises between the different levels of society, as a requirement for passing the course. Unfortunately, this programme had to be interrupted due to the pandemic.
Currently, IOI Costa Rica participates in the IOI Ocean Academy Programme, offering two annual online 20-hour Ocean Literacy modules for practitioners who require tools, solutions and knowledge concerning particular problems affecting the maritime terrestrial zone, such as sea level rise and coastal erosion; the geomorphology of beaches; overfishing; marine pollution; and the impact of tourism on the beaches, among others.
Since 1994, IOI Costa Rica, in collaboration with the Department of Physics of UNA, has had three directors: Alejandro Gutiérrez (1994-2019), Laura Segura (2019-2020) and Mauro Vargas (2020 to the present), all physical oceanographers, who have done their best to respect the legacy of the founder of IOI, Elisabeth Mann Borgese, Arvid Pardo, Anton Vratuša, Awni Benhan, and many others, convinced that responsible ocean governance requires decision-making based on scientifically grounded judgements.
This year marks 30 years of satisfactory collaboration with the institute's headquarters in Malta, despite all the logistical and economic limitations imposed by the pandemic. At IOI Costa Rica, we augur much more time for honourable work in favour of a future peaceful global governance of coasts and seas!
Text provided by the team at IOI Costa Rica
AD MULTOS ANNOS, IOI COSTA RICA! Thank you to Alejandro, Laura, and Mauro, and the office team at UNA for their passion and dedication to the IOI throughout all these years. We look forward to many more years of success and work together, following in the vision of Elisabeth for Pacem in Maribus (Peace in the Ocean)
The International Ocean Institute