An important quality of the places where the CEMarin Corporation carries out its studies is that they have similar characteristics, including the presence of large rivers, estuaries, mangroves and coral reefs, which allow comparative inquiry. Mainly, our indagations are carried out in Santa Marta (Caribbean Coast), Islas del Rosario (Caribbean Coast), Gulf of Urabá (Caribbean Coast) and Bahía Málaga (Pacific Coast). All these areas are located in Colombia, one of the so-called “Megadiverse Countries" of the world which possesses a great richness in species of fauna and flora, ecosystems and habitats.
Although the country represents less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, it is among the first in terms of the number of endemic species, and is the first nation in the world in number of amphibian and bird species. In fact, of 70% of the biodiversity attributed to the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), 10% is attributed to Colombia. Therefore it is considered the second among the most biodiverse countries in the world per square km, and an environmental power with privileged conditions since, in addition to the aforementioned, it also has a vast marine territory in two oceans: the Atlantic and the Pacific.
However, the failure to take advantage of the great potential in goods and services that oceans can provide to the country, the lack of exploration of our marine resources, the increasing destruction of coastal habitats caused by multiple factors including the human component, the loss of marine biodiversity, as well as the adverse influence of global warming, are cause of undeniable concern. For these reasons, the CEMarin Corporation has promotion of marine science and promoting the protection and sustainable use of marine resources, integrating it´s team of researchers at 60% Colombian scientists of the marine sciences.