In silico evaluation of the marine protected areas of the Costa Rican Pacific: Bioinformatic methods in the preservation of biodiversity.

Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vital tools for the conservation of biodiversity, and especially of resources of fishing importance. However, its effectiveness in terms of its ability to protect the habitats needed for the species, and the connectivity they generate among them, has not been quantified in rigorous ways. The development of MPAs in Costa Rica does not escape this problem; For this reason, it is necessary, from the Research Group of the School of Biology of the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, to integrate cutting-edge bioinformatics tools that allow the production of critical information to optimize conservation efforts.