Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona

Surrounding the Gorgona and Gorgonilla Islands, 35 kilometers off the coast of Colombia, Gorgona National Natural Park has the most diverse, developed coral reef ecosystem in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and the largest in the Colombian Pacific. Larval dispersal from these reefs supports the replenishment and stabilization of regional coral populations and provide habitat for a variety of fish and invertebrates. Located at the convergence of several currents, the park's flora and fauna include those characteristic of several surrounding regions.

Gorgona National Natural Park protects essential breeding grounds, foraging grounds, and migratory pathways for a variety of sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds. The park is considered essential to the regional distribution of some seabird species, including the brown pelican, blue footed boobie, brown boobie, and frigatebirds.

Its unique biodiversity as well as its relative accessibility to researchers earns it the nickname “Science Island” (“Isla Ciencia”). The park is also part of the Marine Corridor of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (CMAR), an international initiative jointly launched by Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador to encourage ecological connectivity and promote economic and social development.

Once an island prison, Gorgona National Natural Park now has no inhabitants. Managed by Colombia’s National Natural Parks authority since 1984, the park fosters conservation, education, and research while preserving its ecological and cultural importance. The park has long served as a resting place for the Afro-Colombian fishing community in Bazán on the continent. Today, this local community actively participates in the planning and management of the park.