Biodiversity Beyond Borders: Costa Rica, Ocean Governance, and the New Strategic Geography of the High Seas

By Kuldeep Ojha

Introduction

The world’s oceans, long viewed as open frontiers of commerce and conquest, are fast emerging as the next battleground of climate politics. As new currents redefine maritime politics, Costa Rica— a land known more for its rainforests than its naval doctrine — has carved out a distinct role in steering the high seas conversation through law and diplomacy.

At the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice (France) this June, Costa Rica co-hosted the summit alongside France, calling for a fossil fuel exploration ban and a moratorium on deep-sea mining, while pushing for expedited ratification of the High Seas Treaty. As it looks toward COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Costa Rica’s ocean diplomacy offers more than moral suasion; it signals the arrival of small, values-driven states as active architects of a new environmental multilateralism.

Photo credit: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Ocean Diplomacy as Statecraft: Costa Rica’s Turn to the High Seas

For much of the twentieth century, ocean governance was the preserve of naval powers and trading giants. The rules were set by those who commanded the seas, not those who merely bordered them. However, as climate change unsettles traditional hierarchies in the twenty-first century, Costa Rica’s ascent as a maritime norm entrepreneur underscores how environmental diplomacy is increasingly becoming a theatre for small state agencies.

In contrast to earlier summits, at UNOC3, Costa Rica did not serve as ceremonial; it was the thematic tone. President Rodrigo Chaves’ call for a global ban on fossil fuel exploration and a moratorium on deep-sea mining was far from symbolic; it challenged the inertia of the climate regime. Backed by years of legal activism and environmental credibility, Costa Rica’s insistence on fast-tracking the implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty placed it at the heart of a diplomatic effort long stalled by geopolitical hesitation. It is not merely environmental idealism. Costa Rica understands that moral clarity can be converted into diplomatic capital in a fractured multilateral order. Its ocean diplomacy is strategic — deploying law, coalition-building, and convening power to influence norms that larger states often struggle to shape. It is not the statecraft of fleets but of principled persistence.

Marine Protected Areas and the New Geography of Conservation

Although not a maritime military power; Costa Rica quietly redefines its oceanic jurisdiction. The recent designation of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) — notably near Cocos Island —signals a shift where conservation zones are doubling as instruments of geopolitical relevance. Backed by a €1.8 million EU fund secured at UNOC3, Costa Rica conserves biodiversity and asserts sovereignty through sustainability.

MPAs are not just conservation maps; they are diplomatic assets. The scaling-up of protection zones aligns with global targets such as the 30x30 goal, safeguarding 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas by 2030. More than symbolic gestures, these conservation areas embed Costa Rica into evolving international architectures that bind marine life protection with climate targets and carbon market mechanisms. This redefinition of maritime space reflects a broader shift in geopolitical relevance in the climate age. Costa Rica’s MPAs, legally codified and internationally backed, represent soft assertion — a model of how ecological stewardship can translate into geopolitical voice.

Photo Credit- Xinhua News

From UNOC3 to COP30: Maritime Climate Governance and the Ocean Breakthroughs Agenda

Diplomacy rarely moves in straight lines. It advances through alignments. Costa Rica’s role has expanded — from co-leading discussions at UNOC3 to framing key priorities ahead of COP30 in Belém. In doing so, San José positions itself as a link between marine stewardship and the evolving architecture of international climate governance.

The Ocean Breakthroughs Agenda, which Costa Rica champions alongside like-minded states, represents an inspiring effort to embed ocean governance into climate frameworks. New instruments such as the Ocean Equity Index and the Ocean Investment Protocol mark the beginning of a financing and accountability architecture that gives coastal developing states a meaningful stake in shaping future ocean governance.

President Chaves’ pledge to integrate marine protection into national climate policy is not just domestic reform. It is foreign policy, a signal to COP30 that oceans are integral to mitigation and adaptation, not peripheral. As many states hesitate, Costa Rica is pushing a Global South proposition: that the maritime commons must be governed with equity, not expedience.

Strategic Implications: Can Small States Shape Big Ocean Norms?

In today’s fractured international landscape, small-state efforts are often brushed aside as moral theatre. Costa Rica’s maritime strategy suggests otherwise. Its advocacy for the High Seas Treaty, smart leverage of blue finance and quiet leadership in conservation forums suggest a recalibration: norms can constrain even powerful actors when persistently advanced and legally codified.

The road ahead is steeper. As the UNCLOS framework attracts political friction and COP30’s stakes grow, Costa Rica will need more than principled leadership. Converting commitments into durable regulation will hinge on domestic capability and international alignment. Moreover, normative gains may trigger backlash from fossil lobbies, deep-sea mining consortiums, or maritime security hawks.

Nevertheless, it is in moments of flux that small states matter most. Anchoring action in law and legitimacy, rather than coercion or extraction, allows countries like Costa Rica to influence global norms with outsized effect. While naval might still matters, it is consensus that increasingly defines the rules at sea. Furthermore, voices from the periphery are no longer silent in crafting that consensus — their voices now register where they count.

Conclusion

Costa Rica’s maritime diplomacy is more than a soft power story; it marks an inflection point. As COP30 approaches, the real challenge will be endurance. Can Costa Rica, and others like it, convert summit-stage credibility into sustained normative authority? If it succeeds, it may secure its marine ecosystems and widen the aperture for small-state agencies in global affairs.

Ultimately, the high seas will not be governed solely by great power prerogatives. They will be shaped by those willing to defend them — legally, diplomatically, and morally. Costa Rica, for now, leads from the periphery.

#CostaRica #HighSeasTreaty #UNOC3 #COP30 #OceanDiplomacy #MarineProtectedAreas #ClimateJustice #SmallStateDiplomacy

This is an Original Contribution to the SIS Blog.

Kuldeep Ojha is a PhD scholar in Latin American Studies at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). His research focuses on environmental governance in Central America, and his interests extend to the Latin American region and its geopolitics.