The exhibition “A journey through the Coco Island” by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) opened on November 23rd at the National Museum, in order to bring the island closer to the Costa Rican population, to contribute to value its meaning and educate about its conservation.
Coco Island is one of the few oceanic islands in this area and its biological wealth impresses scientists and the few visitors who manage to reach the place.
This territory located 532 km from the Costa Rican coast, ranks fourth in the world among the most protected sites.
The Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR), the National Museum and the UCR came together to organize this exhibition which aims to join the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the creation of Isla del Coco National Park and the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Island as a World Heritage Site.
The exhibition will remain open to the public until August 19th, 2018 with information compiled by the Cimar, photographs by several professional photographers, videos and a model of the Island.
According to Eugenia Zavaleta Ochoa, coordinator of the Museum + UCR, it is a kind of journey through the history of the island, its flora, fauna, climate and natural beauty, as well as the main threats to this place, such as illegal fishing and pollution.
Researcher of Cimar, Jorge Cortés Núñez, mentioned that thanks to the studies carried out in Isla del Coco by national scientists, it has been possible to document the natural richness of that territory.
This knowledge has allowed the island to appear as a site of great biological importance in the world and to obtain donations for its protection,”
said Cortés.
The photographs belong to the book Isla del Coco, published by Ojalá Ediciones, with the participation of Jorge Cortés and photographer Luciano Capelli, from Ojalá Ediciones.