Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
Located approximately 506 km off the coast of Colombia, the reserve includes Malpelo Island (350 hectares) and its surrounding marine environment (857,150 hectares). This vast marine park is the largest no-take zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, providing a critical habitat for internationally endangered marine species and a major source of nutrients that contributes to a high concentration of marine biodiversity. It is a particular reservoir for sharks, groupers and billfish, and is one of the few places in the world where the deep-sea shark Shortnose sawtooth shark has been confirmed. With its steep walls and naturally scenic caves, these deep waters are widely considered one of the world's top diving destinations, hosting a large number of large predators and pelagic species (for example, more than 200 hammerhead sharks and more than 1,000 silky sharks, whale sharks and tunas have been recorded) that maintain their natural behavior patterns in an undisturbed environment.